Another snow day! Here’s how to track Toronto’s snow plows in real time

Toronto has just been hit with yet another major snowfall of the season, and, if you’re waking up to the snowy mess on Thursday morning, your commute is about to be a cold one. The City of Toronto is working tirelessly to clear the streets with its salters and snow plows, but unfortunately, some low-traffic areas may have to wait a bit longer than others, especially after this plop of snowy weather. Here’s a way to avoid the hassle and see if your area has been plowed yet via PlowTO.

Current road conditions and PlowTO

With this blast of wintry weather, there’s no doubt that road conditions are horrible, but the city is making an effort to clear the streets of snow, as quickly as possible.

If you didn’t use it the last time, there’s an online, real-time map that shows the locations of plows, sidewalk plows, and salt trucks.

It highlights which roads have been cleared in less than four hours (green), between four and eight hours (yellow), and between eight and 12 hours (red).

Which roads in Toronto are clear right now?

Per the map, at the time of writing, the majority of city roads are highlighted in green. However, a good chunk of streets are in yellow, with a number of them in red. Unfortunately, for most residential roads, those have yet to be cleared.

During heavier snowfalls, the city sends out its snow removal crews, but it’s important to note that residents must clear snow on their own properties.

According to the city, “property owners are responsible for clearing ice and snow from private property – including driveways, parking spaces, steps, ramps, and landings – within 24 hours after snowfall ends to provide safe access for people and vehicles.”

And if you don’t, you can get fined. “The set fine for not clearing snow from public and private property is $500 plus $115 surcharge, total of $615,” adds the city.

They also ask that if you’re able to help clear sidewalks for senior or disabled persons nearby, please do so. You can learn more about Sidewalk Clearing on their official site.

And for the map, as we said, it updates in real-time, so use it when needed, before you hit the road.

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Karen Doradea

Senior Staff Writer, Toronto – Karen is a multimedia journalist based in Toronto. With a strong knowledge of reporting and editing through all forms of media, she has a true passion for storytelling. She carries several years of journalistic experience and has covered the Toronto scene from local stories to national news. When Karen isn’t publishing fire content, you can find her binge-watching sitcoms on Crave, at a must-try restaurant, or scrolling endlessly on TikTok looking for the next best thing – News never sleeps.

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