The first major test for the City of Estevan’s snow removal plan in the winter of 2022-23 came through. As have the previous tests.
Estevan and other southeast communities were hit by a winter storm last week. What the storm lacked in intensity – it never forced a snowfall warning to be issued – it more than made up for in longevity. By the end of it, we had inches of snow on the ground.
The good news with a storm like that is if you have a good snow removal plan, you’re able to somewhat keep pace with the snowfall. In this case, Estevan arterial roads were still passable. You hope motorists will be able to navigate the secondary roads, too.
Then Dec. 16 hit. A blowing snow warning was issued. All of that light, fluffy snow that we had lying around town was whipped around by powerful winds. Some roads became impassable and a few had to be closed.
No matter how good your snow removal plan might be, eventually you’re going to run into a situation in which you can’t keep pace. We saw that back in April. At that point, it becomes a matter of how quickly you are able get things open again once the conditions improve.
But by the end of the day on Dec. 16, the main roads were passable. Since then, it’s been a matter of clearing the snow and removing the snow piles. They’ve done a pretty good job.
Snow removal can be one of the most divisive issues for a municipality’s operational budget. If you’re excessive, it will become a financial burden for the community, forcing municipalities to dip into other expenses. People aren’t going to be happy.
You can’t go with an all-out snow-clearing effort just because you had a couple of inches of snow.
It’s going to be a costly year for snow removal in Estevan, likely the most expensive one in several years. But how many people will actually complain about the cost because they could still navigate the city? Not many.
If you do too little, then you’re going to infuriate people because they can’t get to and from work, and they can’t access the other services in the community that they need. Those who reside on quiet residential roads and drive small cars should be able to get to where they need to go.
Snow removal has become an issue in previous elections in Estevan. There were storms in the past that weren’t as significant as the one we had last week that caused more problems, because we had to wait for the city to decide whether to proceed with an all-out snow clearing effort.
The days of saying it’s good enough for vehicles to pack down the snow over several days are seemingly over.
We’re not going to have the streets completely bare like what we would see on a highways, but it’s still easy to get around town.
Those who live on quiet residential roads in Regina would likely love to have a snow removal plan like the one in Estevan.
While our snow removal is pretty good here, people still have to be patient. You can only have so many contractors on the roads at once. And they can only move so fast. It might take a few days.
It’s also important for the City of Estevan to give residents ample notice that their streets will be cleaned, and it’s vital for people to remove their vehicles from the streets to make it easier on crews, and to help others get around the windrows.
Winter is here. The snow is going to be around for a while. It’s unlikely we’ll see grass for a few months. But we know that the next time we get a big snow event, the city will be ready for it.
