Winter Maintenance

South Huron’s winter operators aim to provide safe roads and sidewalks to residents in a timely manner. The Municipality has a 24/7 response team that maintains all South Huron’s roads and sidewalks using various equipment such as graders, plow trucks and sidewalk plows.

After a snow or ice event ends, our winter operators prioritize what roads they clear first according to the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, O. Reg. 239/02. A larger snow or ice event may extend the time it takes for operators to clear local streets and residential areas. Please be patient, roads will be cleared by the winter operators as soon as possible. 

Roads

Roads are plowed and sanded/salted as soon as possible following a winter event, however we do have priorities as to the order and frequency that they are serviced:

1. Primary Routes focus on Primary Roads which carry large volumes of traffic including school areas, emergency, fire, and critical areas on hills, curves and bridges.  These roads are our first priority.
2. Secondary Routes include all low volume local and residential streets.  Please note that these streets are NOT maintained to a bare pavement condition but are plowed and sanded/salted as necessary to provide safe vehicular travel.  They are only serviced after the main routes have been cleared to an acceptable level.

Sidewalks

Sidewalks are cleared after snow accumulation reaches 8 cm. Sidewalk clearing is generally completed within 24 hours after the end of the storm; however, when we have a heavy snowfall, or successive winter events back to back, it will take longer to clear all sidewalks.

You can help with our snow removal by clearing snow and ice from your sidewalks as soon as possible after a snowfall to ensure that they are safe for all residents. By keeping the sidewalks clear, it helps to ensure that all pedestrians, especially those using walkers, scooters and strollers, will be safe.

Sanding and Salting

A sand and salt mixture are applied along the Primary and Secondary routes early in a winter event to prevent the formation of ice forming on the road surface.  This allows the plow operators to clear the streets more effectively if time and weather permits.  Critical areas, such as steep hills, curves, bridges, intersections, and approaches to railway crossings receive top priority.  Sand/salt mixture is not used on any roads when temperatures become so low that it can no longer effectively melt ice which is typically -8 degrees Celsius but is also dependent on other factors (i.e. road temperature, humidity level, etc.).

On-Street Parking

Residents are reminded that on-street parking during a snow event is not permitted at any time of the day or night. If you park on the street during a snow event, your vehicle will be ticketed and may be towed. On-street parking during a snow event severely slows down route clearing, and in some cases, prohibits the operator from clearing snow all together. Overnight parking on municipal streets and in municipal parking lots is not permitted as per the Municipality's Parking By-Law between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to allow for snow removal to occur. 

Buildings Fronting Main Street

Owners or occupants of buildings fronting Main Street in Exeter from Gidley Street to Simcoe Street are required to clear away snow and ice from the sidewalks and roofs within a twenty-four (24) hour period of a snowfall event, as per the Municipality’s Snow and Ice Removal By-Law. 

Super Mailboxes

The Municipality does not perform snow removal operations around super mailboxes in urban areas. Please contact Canada Post (1-800-267-1177) for snow removal in our area. 

How can you help after a snowfall event? 

As a resident of South Huron, you can help us in many ways:

• Report any slippery or dangerous road conditions to us as soon as possible at (519) 235-0310 ext. 251 during regular business hours (Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). During the holidays or afterhours, please phone 519 235-0310 extension 7. We appreciate your assistance in identifying potential hazards.
• Please be patient. You can be sure that during a winter storm event we are exerting our maximum effort to return road conditions to a safe travelling condition.  Under severe conditions, it can take considerably more time to get to all streets. If your street has not been plowed, please allow at least twenty-four (24) hours after the storm has stopped before calling.
• Be a good neighbour. Help those around that may not be able to shovel their own driveways and sidewalks fronting their property.
• Keep a safe distance from plow trucks on the roads and do not attempt to pass. Vehicles attempting to pass create a safety risk for everyone on the road.
• Do not park on the street during a snowfall event - or immediately following a snowfall event if plowing has not occurred yet. This includes ensuring that your vehicle does not extend onto the street or sidewalk. 
• Please do not park your vehicle at the very end of a driveway or across the sidewalk/boulevard area. Plow operators will not able to plow the road properly if there are parked vehicles in the way.
• Do not place snow from sidewalks or driveways on the street. It creates a hazard for all traffic, and the Highway Traffic Act prohibits the placing of snow or ice on any roadway.
• If you have a fire hydrant near your property, clear the snow around it. This will ensure that the South Huron Fire Services can access the hydrant in case of an emergency. 

Information on Winter Driving Conditions