Snow Removal Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Parking By-Law / Keep it Clear
- The health and safety of our community is of utmost importance – Keep it Clear is a proactive approach to community safety.
- The Town will declare a #LincolnON winter event upon declaration of a significant snowfall which prompts our Winter Control operations to be initiated.
- The Town is asking that everyone “Pay it forward” and do not park vehicles on the road. Vehicles on the road cause a major obstruction and hazard to Operation Crews who are working around the clock to clear the roads. In addition, it creates access concerns for emergency services vehicles.
- The Town parking provision prohibits vehicles from being parked on the road during a declared snow event or sudden snowfall in excess of 5cm.
- Speak with a neighbour and see if you can park in their driveway during heavy snowfall.
- If you have a garage, consider ensuring it is clear so you can use it for a vehicle.
- Look for streets or parking lots close by that might permit parking.
- No - obstructing a sidewalk with a vehicle is prohibited and is a safety concern.
- A notice could be issued to the vehicle.
- If the vehicle remains on the road following the notice, a secondary parking notice may be issued.
- At this time, it would be determined as to whether the vehicle would be required to be towed, at the owner’s expense, to a secure towing compound to complete the road clearing operations.
- Town home page – information will be posted at www.lincoln.ca
- Social Media – residents can follow the Town of Lincoln on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
- Local news and weather outlets. Please Note: if the forecast suggests a projected 5-10cm, the Town will declare a Keep It Clear event.
- During a snow event, Parking will be prohibited for up to 72 hours on any municipal street where parking is normally permitted. Any vehicle that is found to be parked on the municipal streets during a snow event which has or may impede the snow clearing operations, will be subject to parking enforcement with a set fine of $75.00 and the vehicle may be subject to towing.
- Town staff attempt to have all roads cleared within 72 hours.
- It is understood and acknowledged that there are situations where homeowners have more vehicles than they can accommodate with the parking space available on their property. The Town reviews opportunities for enhanced parking provision through projects such as the visioning and master planning exercises for main corridors such as Ontario Street in Beamsville and the Victoria and King corridors in Vineland. However, each property has allocated vehicle parking (where possible) on a driveway, garage or laneway by the zoning By-law.
- We suggest speaking with a neighbour and determining if you can use space in their driveway during a heavy snowfall; if you have a garage, consider clearing it out to use it. We recognize that this isn't always convenient, but we ask everyone to pay it forward and not park vehicles on the road. Any vehicles over what was allocated by the zoning By-law is then the responsibility of the individual vehicle/ homeowner to locate and utilize permissible parking.
- Parking with an overhang on the sidewalk is not permitted and will result in enforcement. Parking over the sidewalk prevents the Town from clearing the snow from sidewalks and also creates a potentially unsafe environment for pedestrians using the sidewalks.
- The goal of the by-law amendment related to snow clearing is to help ensure the roads within the Town are cleared safely and promptly. This is done by making all attempts to remove vehicles from the roadways.
- Although this provision is intended to be enforced, we recognize that this will change the way homeowners plan their days or nights when a pending snowfall event is expected. The Town would like to work cooperatively with residents in adapting to this change.
- In the initial year of the program Municipal Law Enforcement, along with Public Works, made every effort to allow homeowners to correct (within reason) parking infractions related to impeding snow clearing during this first winter season. As of November 2022, enforcement will occur for any offending vehicles.
- Notification of a pending snowfall event, as has been the practice for the previous years, will be provided on Town of Lincoln website and Town social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Additionally, local news and weather stations and news outlets provide regular updates on weather conditions for all members of various communities.
- Generally, if the forecast indicates an accumulation of 7-10 cm or more, it is likely that the Town will announce that a "Keep it Clear" is in effect, and parking will not be allowed on any Town Roads.
- The parking provision related to snow clearing is in effect when a Keep it Clear event is predicted via weather conditions and remains in effect for 72 hours, or when the Town announces that the event is over.
- Yes, the parking provision applies to all municipal streets with the Town.
- The set fine for this provision, per offence, is $75.00. Additionally, habitual or continued breaches in the provision may result in a vehicle being removed at the owner’s expense. The Town hopes to continue to work with all community members to engage and educate regarding this provision in order to avoid the tow authorities being utilized.
- The process to challenge an issued parking offence notice can be reviewed either on the rear portion of the offence notice or by visiting the Town of Lincoln website under municipal law enforcement/ parking ticket payment.
What do I need to know about the new Town parking rules?
I have more vehicles than my driveway can accommodate, where can I park during the snowplowing?
Can I park on the lower portion of my driveway over the sidewalk during the snow clearing?
What happens if I park on the roadway while the snow clearing is taking place?
How will I know when I should not park on the street because of snow clearing?
How long will vehicles not be allowed to park on the roadway, is it for the entire winter?
Where am I supposed to park my car if it does not fit in the driveway?
Why was the Parking by-law amended?
How do I know when I can park on the road?
How long will this be in effect and can I not park on the street?
Does this apply to all streets?
What happens if I leave my car on the road/what is the fine?
How can I challenge a ticket?
Road Snow Removal
- Crews cannot come back to your driveway to clear it out as they are working to clear the entire Town. What happens, is the "wing" blade on the plow will push the snow into open areas when the plows pass. Unfortunately, if you have cleared your driveway, this has created the perfect open space for this.
- Some tips for preventing this from happening in the future would be to wait to clear the snow at the end of your driveway until you know the plow has come by. We also recommend that you clear the snow to the right as you go down the driveway so that it is not pushed back in during future passes.
- The Town primarily uses a blend of sand and salt on our roads.
- The Town is also using brine solution for anti-icing on several primary roads, bridge overpasses and hills in Town.
- The Town is piloting using a straight salt application on hills this year.
- It is challenging for a large snowplow truck operator to maneuver in a cul-de-sac to clear all of the snow from around its centre island area.
- The Town first clears a path around the cul-de-sac with a snowplow to allow access to residents and EMS/Fire services. Later, as part of our clean-up operations, the Town comes back with equipment (backhoes & loaders) to complete a total clearing of the cul-de-sac area, typically piling the excess snow in the middle for storage purposes.
- After a significant amount of snow accumulates within these areas, a front-end loader or backhoe loader and dump trucks remove the excess snow. This is scheduled based on necessity.
- Cul-de-sacs are initially plowed as part of the Town's secondary road operations, and then the Town returns later to complete a full clean-up of the cul-de-sac area.
- The Town of Lincoln's road network is vast geographically, making it challenging for winter operations. For example, weather conditions below the escarpment can differ considerably from those above the escarpment.
- During an active snow event, it can take many hours to attend to all of the roads in Lincoln, so we ask for your patience and understanding - especially with high winds and accumulation.
- Please know that we are out there, maintaining the roads as best as we can.
- The Town crews start to plow primary roads first. Once these roads have been plowed, the drivers will move to secondary roads.
- We are sorry to hear this has happened, and apologize for the inconvenience. Please know that we will replace your mailbox. If this happens, please notify the Town of Lincoln immediately. A temporary mailbox will be provided if staff cannot replace it right away – for instance, during a snowstorm, or if a completely new post needs to be installed. A permanent replacement will be scheduled in early spring.
- Please note: unfortunately, the Town does not replace custom mailboxes with the same but will replace the damaged one with a new metal rural-type mailbox.
- When a large storm hits, we have all trucks and licensed/trained drivers out on routes clearing snow. After a certain amount of hours, we need to send the crews home to get some much-needed and well-deserved sleep. The crews will be back out early the following morning to continue clearing the roads.
- If large puddles form from the snow melting, the catch basin may be blocked. We will do our best to come around and clean blocked catch basins, but we always appreciate a helping hand when residents assist with clearing debris from the catch basins.
I just cleared my driveway, and the plow went by and filled it back in with heavy snow. Will you come back and clear it out?
Does the Town use salt on the road?
Why doesn't the plow do a better job clearing the snow from my cul-de-sac?
Why does it take so long to get to my cul-de-sac?
When is the plow getting to my street?
The snowplow driver hit and knocked over my mailbox. What should I do?
We had a massive storm, and there is still snow on the roads. Why are there no trucks out
The snow is melting, and there are large puddles of water on the road. When is the Town going to deal with this?
Sidewalk Snow Removal
- The Town uses salt on our sidewalks and multiuse trails.
- The Town endeavors to be as responsible as possible in balancing the usage the of salt when considering environmental impacts with ensuring that we are maintaining a safe walking surface for pedestrians. The Town has attempted to use alternative materials in the past but unfortunately found that significant icing was still occurring.
- Town staff patrol sidewalks, trails, main crosswalks and pedestrian crossing locations that we clear. When the crews have finished their initial crosswalk and pedestrian crossing areas, they will return to areas we are aware of needing clearing. If this area is on our routes, we will come back and clear the area.
- The Town is responsible for clearing the sidewalk portion. Canada Post is responsible for clearing any additional area between the sidewalk and the mailbox.
- The sidewalks are addressed based on snow or ice conditions. It is possible that while equipment has passed through there may be snow packed areas that are still passable as required by Ontario Regulations. Staff will complete patrols of the sidewalks and hard surface trails to ensure that sidewalks are cleared to Town levels of service and Ontario Regulation levels. For the Town of Lincoln Levels of service please refer to: https://speakuplincoln.ca/winter-sidewalk-maintenance.
- The Town is meeting levels of service and requirements set out by the Province, which aligns with industry best practices. You can visit: https://speakuplincoln.ca/winter-sidewalk-maintenance to learn more about our clearing depths and response times.
- Sod damage can happen when clearing snow from the road or sidewalks. This is even more likely in areas of narrow sidewalks, overgrown sodding and during periods in which the ground is not frozen (i.e. early in the season and after major thaws). Town staff patrol after events and at the end of the winter season to log any sod damage. When sod is available in late spring, the Town and our contractor will return to repair any damage.
- The Town and our contractor install wooden stakes within the right-of-way to identify any potential hazards that may be difficult to see when covered in snow. These stakes protect any landscaping or hard features that may be within the right-of-way and could be damaged during winter operations. These stakes will remain in place from November through to mid-April and will be installed annually.
Does the Town use salt on all sidewalks and trails?
Why do you use so much salt? Why not use sand or another material?
The plow went by and filled in a crosswalk. How do I get the Town to come back to clear?
Why is the area directly in front of the Canada Post Mailbox not cleared?
Will the sidewalks be cleared to bare concrete?
Does the Town have accessibility standards for winter maintenance of sidewalks and trails?
The sidewalk tractor went by and damaged the sod. Why did this happen and what is the Town going to do about it?
Why are there wooden stakes installed on my property?
Windrow Snow Removal
- The contractor is responsible for clearing all sidewalks in the Town of Lincoln prior to clearing windrows. The contractor will not start clearing windrows until the storm has finished and all Town sidewalks have been cleared. Windrow snow clearing is done after major and secondary roads have been plowed for emergency and transit. It may take up to 36 hours after the end of a snow storm for windrows to be cleared.
- Unfortunately, we cannot determine when the clearing of roadways and sidewalks will be completed before your windrow is cleared, so please plan accordingly as your appointments may be affected. The contractor cannot accommodate any requests to have your windrow cleared on an immediate need basis.
- Although the sidewalk in front of your residence is clear, the contractor is responsible for clearing the entire Town including Jordan, Vineland, Campden and Beamsville, so clearing may not be complete in another area of Town. Please keep an eye on our social media outlets for updates on these programs.
- If there is a medical emergency, call 911. First responders are well equipped to respond to emergencies in winter storm events. The contractor will not be responsible for any emergency clearing.
- The Town and the contractor will be working together closely to coordinate operations. This service is a one time clearing per event, so in the event a second dumping occurs, it will be the homeowners responsibility to clear any excess snow.
When will my windrow be cleared?
I need to leave for work/appointment/school etc. and can’t get out of my driveway. If I call, will the contractor come clear my windrow so I can get out?
My sidewalk is clear, why haven’t they come to clear my windrow?
What should I do in the event there is a medical emergency at my residence and my windrow has not been cleared?
My windrow was cleared, but the plow went through and dumped more snow. Will you come back and clear a second time?