With the recent snow in our area, one issue that remains to be a topic of conversation amongst the locals of Lethbridge is if the city is doing enough to remove snow from the streets.

Because the weather in southern Alberta takes some drastic swings between constant snowfall and raging winds, the city purchased four additional snow plows to be mounted on existing trucks to allow for faster snow plowing along bus routes and for plowing the rest of residential streets during severe weather. The city also installed more than 10 kilometres of snow fence at a variety of locations on the western edge of the city and preferred locations in north and south Lethbridge.

Compared with the enormous amount of snow the city received last year, and the subsequent outcry from local citizens for better snow removal, the efforts this year to ensure safe driving conditions have been improved.

Of course snowdrifts throw a wrench into that a little bit, but following some massive winds, the city has been able to keep the roads fairly clear.

Snow routes have also been implemented by the city on a temporary basis following large amounts of snowfall. Motorists are told to avoid parking on those roads so that plows are better able to clear high-traffic roads.  

This issue will continually be on the front burner for citizens who feel the residential streets aren’t cleared properly, but there’s only so much the plows can do and if that means the main streets have priority over the smaller residential streets then so be it.

The snow removal has been improved and that’s all we can ask for.