Something new for Orillia residents this winter—the ability to track when the last time your street was plowed.
Kyle Mitchell, Manager of Source Protection and Operations, says the app will roll out once the City and Bell are sure any bugs in the system have been corrected.
He says it will be similar to the 'Track My Plow' app that is in Barrie.
And a reminder, that Orillia's winter parking restrictions begin at midnight tonight.
Parking is prohibited on municipal streets and parking lots from midnight to 7 a.m. until April 15th.
Mitchell says it's important residents remove their vehicles from the street or the plows can't clear them, which throws off the operators schedule.
The city has seven plows and eight sidewalk machines.
Two more plows will be added to the line up, likely in February.
How quickly roads are cleared during and after a snowfall is governed by the province, though Mitchell notes the city policy exceeds what is required.
He says it's based on the volume of traffic on the road and the speed.
Higher volumes like West Street, Coldwater and Atherley will be tackled when there is 4 cm of snow on the road, and staff must address any additional snowfall within six hours after the end of a snowfall.
For most other streets, including residential, the plows get at them when there is 8 cm of snow, and staff must address any additional snowfall within 12 hours after the end of a snowfall.
Mitchell admits road clearing becomes a headache when the snow is very heavy and moist or when there is mixing such as freezing rain.
