Snow Removal
Winter Operations & Snow Plowing
The Municipality of Brighton maintains over 250km of roads and 40km of sidewalks during winter operations using 10+ dedicated pieces of equipment for snow removal.
During winter weather events, our Roads Department is responsible for:
- Plowing and salting roads,
- Snow removal at Municipal buildings and parking lots,
- Sidewalk plowing and,
- The removal of snow from Downtown
All municipal roads are divided into road classes based on traffic volumes and posted speed limits. The Municipality of Brighton has 4 different classes of roads within its boundaries based on these classifications. Class 2 roads have the highest priority with the most vehicles travelling on them. Class 5 roads are lightly travelled and have lower priority.
The Roads Department monitors 4 weather reports each day and does continuous road patrols to know when to dispatch snowplows. Plows are dispatched based on deteriorating road conditions and accumulation as outlined by the O.Reg. 239/02 Minimum Maintenance Standards (MMS) and listed in the chart below:
Minimum Maintenance Standards (MMS) for Winter Operations
| Road Class | Depth of Snow Accumulation | Timeframe for Clearing Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | 5 cm | 6 hours |
| Class 3 | 8 cm | 12 hours |
| Class 4 | 8 cm | 16 hours |
| Class 5 | 10 cm | 24 hours |
Declaring a “Significant Weather Event”
When the Municipality of Brighton is experiencing weather that may affect the ability of our Roads Department to maintain the roads at the service levels that road users would normally expect, we will declare a Significant Weather Event. As per the Ontario Municipal Act, a municipality may declare a significant weather event when a weather hazard, either forecasted or occurring, has the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the roadways in which they have authority.
The declaration of this event will be published on our website and social media channels and also pushed out to key stakeholders in the community.
Driving in the Snow
During poor driving conditions, unnecessary travel is not recommended.
If you do find yourself needing to travel in less than ideal conditions:
- Monitor highway and road conditions before your departure – check Ontario 511 for up to date traffic information
- Clear your car of snow and ice before driving
- Drive for the conditions – give yourself extra travel time, extra space to stop, go slow, keep a safe distance between cars, be patient
- Never attempt to pass a working snow plow
- Be prepared in case of emergency – prepare and have accessible a 72-hour survival kit, have your communication devices fully charged, download the what3words app to help emergency crews locate you within 3m of accuracy
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