York Region gears up for the winter season

The winter weather is here, and York Region’s maintenance crews are hard at work responding to recent snowfalls and keeping roads safe and clear. With more than 4,400 lane kilometres of Regional roadways to maintain across nine cities and towns, our teams operate around the clock to ensure motorists can travel safely throughout the season.

Meet the fleet

York Region’s winter maintenance fleet includes 133 vehicles, with 126 combination plow trucks and seven brine trucks. These vehicles are equipped with advanced technology, including air and pavement temperature sensors and live weather radar to ensure timely and efficient snow clearing, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Since the first snowfall, crews are actively clearing snow across four districts and 95 snowplow routes.

It takes approximately 90 minutes to spread salt or sand and 120 minutes to plow one full cycle across all Regional roads. Snow may fall between loops, but your plow will be back, working hard to keep roads safe and clear.  

Why we use brine

Ever wondered why you see lines of liquid on the road before a storm? That’s brine, a solution of road salt dissolved in water. It’s applied in advance to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the pavement. Using brine means less salt is needed, which is better for the environment and helps keep roads safe.  

Behind the scenes  

To support storm planning and response, York Region operates eight Road Weather Monitoring Stations that provide localized weather data to help anticipate storm conditions and guide deployment.  

We also use snowplow pre-emption technology on bus transit rapidways, allowing plows to hold green lights and clear lanes faster. This innovation cuts clearing time in half, improves safety, reduces emissions and keeps transit on schedule. York Region is proud to be the first in Canada to use this GPS-based traffic signal control to enhance winter operations.

Motorists can do their part  

While crews are working hard to keep roads safe, drivers can help by following these winter safety tips.

Plan ahead

• Stay off roads, if possible, during extreme weather conditions  
• Let us do the driving by taking York Region Transit
• Give yourself extra time to get to your destination  
• Follow @YorkRegionGovt on social media for updates and tips  

Prepare your vehicle

• Have winter tires on your vehicle  
• Clear snow, ice and frost from all windows, headlights, taillights and roof  
• Make sure your windshield fluid and vehicle fuel are topped up  
• Carry a roadside emergency kit

Drive safely

• Slow down and respect pedestrians crossing the road  
• Drive a safe distance behind the plow; you may see them, but they may not see you if you are following too closely  
• Only pass snow removal vehicles when a safe passing area is available, and the lane is clear of snow or treated with salt or sand; do not pass on the right  
• When passing a plow, be sure to leave plenty of space; plows are wider than most vehicles and portions of the plow and blade may be obscured by blowing snow  
• Don’t travel beside a snowplow; they can shift sideways after moving snow drifts  
• Pedestrians should be visible and be seen
• Report issues on Regional roads by using the Report a Problem app

For more information on our winter maintenance program, visit york.ca/Roads or watch our winter storm preparation video.