UPDATE – Slippery Road Conditions – Winter Control Response

As a follow-up to the GM of Guelph Transit’s e-mail that transit service will resume shortly after 12 pm today, I can provide the following update on the road conditions.

Firstly, the snow has stopped and it is not expected to resume this afternoon. Secondly, I can report that all the bus routes are now clear and there is sufficient traction to continue their operations. Most arterial and collector roads are ice and snow free at this time. Salt continues to be applied as the road temperature remains slightly below air temperature which is at 1C right now. Some assets are now able to be diverted to local (residential) streets to apply the 95/5 (sand/salt) mix to assist with traction in those lesser used locations.

Winter control will continue to monitor and maintain the routes throughout this afternoon and into the night. Scattered flurries are forecasted for tomorrow and Sunday with accumulation in the 2-5 cm range. We are prepared to deal with that eventuality.Staff

Bus Service Suspended

We have temporarily suspended bus service this morning at 8:45 due to the extremely slippery conditions. A number of intersections with inclines and declines became impassable this earlier this morning and this has now had a “ripple” effect through our entire system. I have spoken with the General Manger of Public Works and efforts are being made to address the critical areas as quickly as possible. I have spoken with CJOY and the website is currently being updated.Staff

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Further to GM Transit’s update, let me first let me say that I can confirm that the Winter Control Team is out in full force (ie. All plows with blades deployed) right now attending to the conditions.

Secondly, I can confirm that the Winter Control Team (Roads Section) has been out in full force for the last 24 hrs. In particular, at 3 pm yesterday, all main and secondary routes received salt in anticipation of the freezing rain. This work continued past midnight at which point additional staff were called in to assist. At 2 am work was suspended on ‘gritting’ the local (residential) streets and direction was given to go back to the main and secondary routes. Roads were wet up to approximately 7:30 am where snow started to fall and accumulate. Direction was given to bring all the vehicles into the yard to put blades on (for those that were previously affixed). All plows are now operating with their blades down to remove the accumulation while still putting down material.

We are expecting approximately 2-4 cm of snow with clearing later this afternoon. Temperatures are to rise above freezing, with snow possibly turning into light rain.Staff

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Based on the field reports I am getting from my Mobile Supervisors I am suspending service until at least 10 a.m. this morning. CJOY has been provided this info. Staff

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Service is suspended until 10:30

Transit mobile supervisors are working with PW Supervisors to identify and address “hot spots” Staff

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Bus service is suspended until at least 11:00 a.m. this morning

Conditions are improving but there a number of areas that still require attention – Transit and PW staff are working together to address as quickly as possible.   Staff

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Bus service remains suspended until at least 11:30 a.m. this morning. Staff

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Bus Service Resumption

We are planning to resume service at 12 noon

We asking for riders to be patient as there may be minor delays as we get operators and vehicles back into position.   Staff

Odours at Organic Facility

Please be advised that City Staff at the composting facility have noticed an odour coming from the stack. The Ministry of Environment have been notified, as have the neighbours around the site. I have asked for an urgent meeting of Maple Reinders, Wellington Organix, Biorem and Golder. As you may recall, we recently accepted a small amount (75 tonnes) of organic waste late last week in an effort to keep the odour-eating organisms from dying. The facility designer (Maple Reinders), the Operator (Wellington Organix) and the supplier of the Biofilter system (Biorem) are actively working to determine the cause and mitigative measures.  Staff

Snow Plowing

This is a staff response to a resident’s question as to why some Guelph streets get snow clearance while others don’t.

Winter control service is provided to the community at different levels depending on the classification of street being serviced as outlined in the Municipal Act, Regulation 239/02 or the function of the roadway as a Bus Route. This Regulation is more commonly called “The Ontario Minimum Maintenance Standards”. Streets other than bus routes are classified relative to their posted speed limit and their annual daily traffic count. From that information we sort the streets into types, (High traffic), Arterials and Collector Roads and (low traffic volume) residential roads.  Staff

Spot MTO Inspection – Transit Fleet

Earlier today an inspector from the Ministry of Transportation conducted a spot inspection of our fleet at Transit. Initial indications are that Fleet Services received an excellent rating from the inspector (official report to follow). The only faults found were a loose fire extinguisher and insecure salt containers. Compared to other Transit authorities in the region, this inspection result is higher than average.

This is outstanding news on many accounts, not the least of which is the fleet maintenance program run by Bill Barr and his staff. In particular, the mechanics at Watson Road should be complimented for achieving a high standard, particularly given the pressure to provide a higher than normal output of buses on the road of late. Staff