Every year on social media, complaints about the state of the roads pile up as fast as the snow falls, with many comments suggesting that plows aren’t out when or where they should be, or that the Town of Okotoks isn't taking the best approach to clearing the roads.
Following the season’s first snowfall last week, another round of negative comments got underway, although there were several made in support of the job being done by plow operators.
Comments made on snow-related posts on the Okotoks Community Discussion Facebook page were largely negative, with one suggesting the Town was waiting for a chinook while another said he had yet to come across a sand truck.
Town of Okotoks transportation team leader Peter McDowell said he tries not to pay too much attention to what's being said online.
“I, myself, try not to look at it because it does bother me sometimes,” he said. “Obviously, we’re a small outfit for the size of the town. We do what we can to get it done.”
Three plow trucks and a grader make up the Town’s snow-clearing fleet, with seven operators and two additional staff members responsible for clearing snow on routes around Okotoks, said McDowell.
Others on the team that are on social media keep an eye on what is being said online, he said, adding that for every positive comment, there are 20 negative ones.
Official complaints that are made to the Town’s operations centre are logged and taken care of, and a plow operator often goes over an area before the complaint even reaches them, McDowell said.
“We usually have handled it by the time it gets to us," he said. “It's (plow operators') families that are driving on the roads, so they take pride in what they do.”
Last week’s snowfall was not only the season’s first, but it was also preceded by rain and then freezing rain.
“You've got a sheet of ice that you're fighting with,” McDowell said. “It was no different in Calgary, or High River, or Diamond Valley, or even on sections of the highway.”
Plow drivers face a similar adjustment to winter roads as does everyone else early in the season, he said.
“I'm not always a fan of these 10- and 15-centimetre dumps the first time to get everything going,” McDowell said.
Roads in Okotoks are cleared on a priority basis, with main arteries and downtown as priority one, collector roads as priority two and residential roads and alleys as priority three.
Snow clearing starts within four hours on priority one routes when four centimetres or more has accumulated and all priority one routes are expected to be cleared within 24 hours of the snow stopping, the Town said.
Northridge Drive, Southridge Drive and 32 Street are cleared by outside contractors.
When it comes to sidewalks, the Town says residents are responsible for those adjacent to their property and snow needs to be removed within 24 hours.
Free sand is available for Okotoks residents at the Eco Centre or at fire halls in town.
