How many kilometres of sidewalk are cleared in St. John's?

    161 km of sidewalk cleared.

    What are the priorities for sidewalk snow clearing?

    • Sidewalks within immediate school areas are the first priority, all other sidewalks within the sidewalk program are assigned the same priority as the adjacent street.
    • The sidewalk snow clearing routes and priorities can be viewed on this map

    When does the City clear sidewalks after a snow event?

    Equipment is deployed when accumulation reaches 3-5 cm. Route completion can take up to 7 days, this time varies with snowfall amounts and time between storms.

    Who's responsible for clearing bus stops and shelters?

    Metrobus clears snow at serviced bus shelters once the City has cleared roads and snow has been pushed back (generally within 48 hours of a snow event) and the City clears the stops along the sidewalk routes as outlined above.

    What are some of the challenges in carrying out the sidewalk snow clearing program?

    Sidewalk plow operators navigate narrow streets with many obstructions such as utility poles, hydrants, and other infrastructure. Cars parked over the sidewalk and garbage bins are some of the other obstacles the operators encounter. Snow placed on sidewalks by residents or contractors causes additional work and delays route completion. 

    Houses in many areas of the city are very close to the sidewalk. This results in limited snow storage capacity and these areas typically require snow removal. 

    The local climate is one of the biggest challenges the City faces for snow clearing sidewalks. St. John’s is one of the snowiest cities in Canada, but also has a very temperate climate which results in a lot of rain and/or snow melt immediately after a snowfall. That rain and melt causes snow to get wet and heavy very quickly. The snow subsequently freezes, turning into ice. This hard, heavy snow creates an incredibly difficult challenge for City equipment.