REPORT ON SNOW AND ICE CONTROL IN URBAN AREAS

AN INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON PROCEDURES, METHODS, ORGANIZATION, EQUIPMENT AND COST OF SNOW AND ICE CONTROL IN CANADIAN URBAN AREAS TO RELATE THESE FACTORS TO THE SIZE OF CITY, REGION AND ANNUAL SNOWFALL. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SENT TO VARIOUS CITIES WITH A WIDE VARIATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. INFORMATION WAS REQUESTED ON STORM WARNING SYSTEMS, WARNING DEVICES ON VEHICLES, POLICY AND PUBLIC DEMAND, RESEARCH AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN SNOW AND ICE CONTROL. RESULTS INDICATED THAT COMPARABLE COST DATA WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO DEVELOP UNIT COST STATISTICS. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE ACCURACY OF WEATHER FORECASTS COULD BE IMPROVED WITH THE PREDICTION OF STARTING TIME, DURATION AND QUANTITY OF SNOW OR SLEET. COSTS MIGHT THUS BE REDUCED BY A MORE EFFICIENT SCHEDULING OF CREWS. URBAN ROAD USERS ARE DEMANDING INCREASINGLY HIGHER STANDARDS OF WINTER MAINTENANCE. EACH MUNICIPALITY HAS ITS OWN PECULIAR PROBLEMS AND SNOW AND ICE TECHNIQUES MUST BE BASED ON LOCAL CONDITIONS. THE USE OF CHLORIDE SALTS FOR ICE CONTROL IS UNIVERSAL. SNOW DISPOSAL BY MELTING PLANTS APPEARS AN ECONOMIC NECESSITY FOR SOME CITIES AS DUMPING AREAS DISAPPEAR AND HAUL DISTANCES INCREASE. THERE IS NO UNIFORMITY IN THE USE OF WARNING DEVICES ON MUNICIPAL SNOW AND ICE CONTROL VEHICLES.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Ref Paper NO 1, 12 TAB, 5 REF
  • Corporate Authors:

    CANADIAN GOOD ROADS ASSOCIATION

    OTTAWA, ONT.:
    ,    
  • Publication Date: 1966-9

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00218128
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: CANADIAN GOOD ROADS ASSOCIATION
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Sep 5 1994 12:00AM