Montreal to roll out third snow-removal blitz starting Wednesday night

The City of Montreal is launching its third snow removal operation Wednesday as people in some neighbourhoods complain about snow pick-up this season.

The City of Montreal has scheduled its third city-wide snow-removal operation beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

The city says that under its snow-removal policy, the operations must be underway in every sector by 7 p.m. on Thursday.

“We anticipate that there is a change of weather pattern coming over the weekend. It’s going to get warmer. We do not want to wait for this to freeze and become a skating rink, or that it gets hard and we lose machinery,” said Montreal Executive Committee member Alan DeSousa.

Nearly 3,000 workers and 2,500 snow-clearing vehicles are set to take part in the loading operations across the roughly 11,000 kilometres of the municipal network.

To ensure efficiency, 8,223 overnight parking spaces are expected to be available between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Temporary parking restrictions will also be lifted once the snow clearing is complete.

The city says crews will pay close attention to sidewalks to keep travel moving safely.

Residents are encouraged to monitor updates from their boroughs and take simple steps, like following parking restrictions and keeping sidewalks clear of bulky items, garbage bags and bins, to help speed up operations.

Vehicles should also be parked parallel to the curb, 30 centimetres away, with mirrors folded.

The city says it has also upgraded its official mobile app with new snow-removal features that allow residents to follow operations in real time.

Formerly known as Montréal – services aux citoyens, the app has been modernized and renamed 311 Montréal.

Residents can download the new 311 Montréal app on Android or Apple devices, or update the previous version.

According to the city, the redesign includes alerts and notifications for updates and emergencies, a real-time snow removal map and a space to report issues such as graffiti, slippery sidewalks or potholes.

The City of Montreal is also advising residents to visit the Snow Removal section of montreal.ca. Available resources include:

• Map to locate free parking
• INFO-Towing to find a towed vehicle

For safety reasons, always make eye contact with snow-removal drivers to ensure they see you, as they often move forward and backward and have large blind spots.