Here are answers to some questions that we often receive after a heavy snowfall:  

Why does the snow plow leave a windrow in my driveway? The plow operator must plow snow to the curb or right hand side of the road, and has limited control over the amount and direction that comes off the blade. The plow blade is at a set position, and does not have the ability to swivel around driveways and crown of the road. When clearing your driveway, try to pile the snow on the right side (standing in your driveway and looking towards the street). This can help reduce the amount of snow that is pushed onto your driveway when a snow plow passes.

Can the snow plow operator lift the blade at every driveway? In order for our snow plow operators to provide the most efficient and cost-effective snow removal, continuous movement is required. With hundreds of driveways in the Village, it is not practical or cost efficient for plow operators to lift their blades at every driveway. Since our main goal is to safely open roads as soon as possible, lifting the blade at each driveway would slow down the snow removal operation significantly and would leave snow in the road that could be a hazard to motorists.

Can the snow plow trucks plow all the snow to the other side of the street where there are no sidewalks or driveways? The snow plows are designed to plow snow to the right hand side of the road. In order to plow all the snow to one side, the equipment would have to drive on the wrong side of the road creating an unsafe traffic situation and this would take more time which means the streets not serviced yet would have to wait longer. It is not an effective cost method based on the current level of service the Village of Kaslo provides.

Can I place the snow from my driveway or parking area onto the travelled portion of the street? Residents are encouraged to avoid pushing or blowing snow from their sidewalk or driveway into the street because it is potentially creating a dangerous situation for motorists.

By placing the snow back onto the roadway after a plow truck has gone by creates issues for our snow removal crews. The plow will need to make an additional run down your street to clean it up which increases Village’s costs with additional staff time, fuel and equipment wear and tear, not to mention delays in getting to other areas of the Village that also need to be plowed.

When will our street be plowed? After a snowfall the streets are prioritized based on our snow removal policy, which outlines the priority areas.

Can the Village’s snow plow operator plow my driveway? The Village of Kaslo does not perform work on private property.

Clearing snow is the responsibility of the Village Public Works department, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the community; help keep the community safe this winter! Here’s how you can help:

• The Village will ensure that all roads are passable as soon as possible. This is our number one priority.
• Park your vehicles in your driveway as opposed to the street.
• Stay back a safe distance from the rear of a plow truck so the driver can see you.
• Please avoid passing or driving beside plow trucks.
• Please avoid placing snow from your driveway back into the street. 
• If you can, help your neighbour with snow removal.

Outside the municipal boundaries, and along the numbered highways within the Village, road maintenance is performed by Yellowhead Road and Bridge.

For information about highway conditions please consult DriveBC. Highway camera footage is streamed here.