Seven-Day Snow Plan

How the Seven-Day Snow Plan works

The seven-day snow plan is The City's schedule for clearing snow from public spaces. It's approved by City Council and comes into effect once a snowfall ends city-wide. The plan sets out which roads, sidewalks, bikeways and pathways our crews will clear, to what extent, and on which day within the seven-day plan. See below for the day-by-day priorities.

While it's snowing and before the seven-day plan is activated, crews are out on major roads plowing snow to prevent build-up and applying anti-icing material. This work minimizes the impact of snowfall on the heaviest-traffic routes.

Seven-Day snow plan priorities

Day 1

Day 1 begins after the snowfall ends. Crews spend the first 24 hours plowing and removing snow on Priority 1 routes, which include:

Major roads with more than 20,000 vehicles per day, such as Crowchild Trail and Macleod Trail. (Deerfoot Trail and Stoney Trail are maintained by the Province)
Business routes with more than 8,000 vehicles per day, such as those downtown.
Downtown cycle tracks
Designated sections of pathway
Sidewalks bordering City-owned properties
Pedestrian overpasses, LRT platforms and other public properties with high-volume foot traffic

For a view of all Priority 1 and 2 roads, visit the Snow and Ice Control Priority Routes map.

Day 2

Day 2 begins 24 hours after a snowfall ends and crews have completed at least 90 per cent of the work on Priority 1 routes. Priorities include plowing driving lanes (not curb or parking lanes) and piling it roadside. Priority 2 routes include:

Roads with 5,000-19,999 vehicles per day, such as Kensington Road and Acadia Drive
Intersections and crosswalks controlled by traffic lights
Designated emergency routes (e.g. around hospitals and fire stations)
Bus routes
Roads with on-street bike lanes
Trouble spots

Day 3

Day 3 begins 48 hours after the snow has stopped. Priorities include:

Turn lanes and on/off-ramps on P1 and P2 routes
Windrows at busy crosswalks and wheelchair curb ramps
Designated feeder/collector routes that connect to P2 routes
Playground zones (includes schools)
Designated hills
Intersections controlled by stop or yield signs

Day 4-7

Day 4 begins 72 hours after a snowfall ends. On days 4 through 7, crews work in residential areas to:

Pack down soft snow and level out ruts. Please note that some residential streets are too small or narrow for commercial snow-clearing equipment to work in
Sand-salt driving lanes (not curb or parking lanes)
Clear bus pads

Please note – The City does not have Council approval or budget to:

Plow residential roads down to bare pavement
Haul snow from residential areas
Clear back lanes or alleyways
Clear sidewalks bordering private homes or businesses; this is the responsibility of the home/business owner
Clear snow on walkways between homes

Priority pedestrian clearing snow areas

The City's seven-day snow plan includes:

Clearing snow from sidewalks bordering public property* - Day 1
Clearing snow from 500 kilometers of pathway - Day 2
Reducing windrows at busy crosswalks and wheelchair curb ramps for better access - Day 3

*The City is responsible for clearing approximately 11 per cent of Calgary sidewalks. Private property owners have the critical job of clearing the remaining 89 per cent, within 24 hours of a snowfall ending. Learn more about the bylaw requirements and new escalating fines for failing to maintain a public sidewalk bordering your private property.