dear mr.clean, how many people do you think this city has on thier streets crews??....let me tell you, they have about 15 on staff, and they are trained to do thier jobs...do you realy think that the zamboni drivers should go out and do the streets too??...be realistic,do you do all of the jobs in your office??...i think not,now to answer you question about the weekends they would have to double the staff and that would cost money, wich in turn would raise taxes...do you realy want this to happen again??...i know i dont!!...and thank you shannon you are right...this city is among one of the best at snow removal...most people would say not as all they see is thier street wich seems to get gradded once a year, but think of it...when it does snow there are priority areas that have to be done first...eg, hospital routes then the hills, then school and bus routes, thats just to keep the city moving, and when they are done that, (if it doesnt snow again) they do the secondary areas, but if it snows again they have to start over, now think about this...if they would do the street in front of your house how far do think you would get if the main streets were not done??...now, on top of this think of all the traffic that would be there with you??...kinda scarry huh??...i tell you, the guys are doing a great job with what they have, yes it can be better with more staff and equipment so if you want that, maybe donate more of your money for the cause??...we are a small city with limited tax payers so if you have any ideas on how to help maybe send it in??...i have a few, 1- stay out of thier way let them do thier jobs, if you see them ahead, go around the block and go on your way...dont try to sneak by them, that causes them to slow down and stop...2-when you see signs of snow cleaning dont park your car there. 3-do your part and try to help in any way you can to make things better.

I will agree with truck driver, but only to a point. Yes, they only have so many crew members, and they work to get the main routes done first, lucky for me I live on a main route. However, the problem I have is with the way they do it. I'm no scientist, but it seems to me that putting sand on the snow, and THEN plowing down to a glassy sheen and then sanding AGAIN is counter productive.

I can understand the crews working during busy traffic hours to get the bulk of the snow out of the lanes, but what I don't see necessary is doing the "fine" touches such as removing snow mounds from meridians and grading the humps in the middle of the road during the daytime hours. Blocking off a lane traffic for front-end loaders and having slow moving graders holding up 2 lanes has caused unnecessary traffic back ups and road hazards, not to mention throwing a few impatient drivers into the equation. With only a few crew members, you could do those things over the course of a few evenings. Kudos to the crews for trying, but the person in charge of directing them seems to have taken a training course on common sense from Scarrow.

I think P.A. city workers are doing a great job with our streets! You try driving around Saskatoon the streets even the main ones are horrible.

answer to Truck Driver. There are only 9 fulltime staff. This includes the same 9 during overtime. So everybody knows it is pretty hard to double shift if there are only nine. Thank you for your comments, you are right!!!!!!

haha CM i see what you are saying, but the reason they do remove the snow build up on the medians is 1- some small cars cant see over them and 2- in case of a heavy snow storm this allows them to push it into the middle again...and we have had bad snow storms in the past so i think this is good planning (just in case)...right??...i also hear yah about doing it at night...but there are some places where people live and it can be quite noisy and not allways fair to them right??...also, about them sanding before removing the snow, well thats a comon thing being that the sander guy is doing his routine as the graders are doing thiers, there is no way to tell when the gradders will get there so better to be safe than sory...now as there is only 9 guys doing this is it fair to them to work day and night as in 24/7...they too have families and im sure they would like (in most cases) see them...i know i would...but coments and suggestions are a great way to learn and maybe things will work out?? so most will be happy...but thats a hard thing to do...pleasing everybody??...wow hey??...

they should put more sand at the intersections i dont drive fast and my car doesn't have abs if i get in a car accident because of lack of sand i will be after the city to replace my car lately i haven't seen one sand truck and i drive around the city all night and day and no saskatoon streets are not as bad as p.a.'s atleast i can stop at they're intersections no problem

if you have a problem with sanding or any other city item you can call 953-4900...they will take your call...let them know how you feel about the sanding...maybe this will work??...

Yes i think some things can be better with the clean up but we can't give the workers flack for it they do as they are told, my one concern i have was a couple of years ago it was said that when city workers put out the do not park snow removal signs, and if you were parked there when the plows come by that you would either get a ticket or be towed away. Why is this not being followed through with? I know i live on a street were people don not move their cars and it frusterates me cause then i have to drive over a big snow ridge if i want to park infront of my house.

hello there guest, you are right...they make up rules and then dont follow up on them...now they have signs on all of the main streets that say snow routes but yet to see a ticket or a tow truck??...why make rules if they dont enforce them??...i too hate those ridges even though my block has been good for the most part...sometimes people are away on holidays...but i allways thought street parking was not allowed over a 24 hr. period??...years ago my car tires were marked to see if i do move it....but i did use my car...now i have a driveway...but ive seen camper parked on the street for weeks at a time and nothing done??...doesnt seem fair....this is where i believe things will get done...maybe the right people will see this and do something about it??...let all hope...

to address all the comments 1. for the staff to work evenings and weekends they would have to be paid overtime which would require more money hence higher taxes, also there is limited staff, they all can't work 24/7. As for doing things like clearing meridians etc well they have too for multiple reasons like sight lines for one, but also on 6 ave e they clear paths for all the kids walking to school...or would you rather the kids climb them, slip and slide into traffic? Once again this has to be done during the daytime unless you want to pay them overtime 2. snow routes fall under the bylaw, they are main routes that are always done first after a snow fall, they wont usually tow or ticket because it is asked that you move but there is no fine for not moving BUT if you dont move and you get plowed in...tough..grab a shovel..and no they wont usually come back and do it twice..that would be counter productive. As for parking in the street and tire marking that is through Bylaw enforcement and has nothing to do with snow, in the bylaw you cannot park a vehicle unmoved for more then 48hrs on the street, if you see one u want moved, call bylaw 3. you can request a road be sanded at anytime through Public Works at 953-4900, but if you know about sanding, when you have glare ice the sand doesnt stick so they could drop sand, 10 cars go through, the sand gets thrown to the sides and boom no sand left, also when the sanding trucks are out sanding, they dont necessarily know where every grader is going to come by. As for not seeing the sanding trucks, well we dont have 10 we are not that large but i assure you they are out everyday, and if the duty foreman gets a call for icy roads on the weekend then the sanding trucks are called out to sand during weekends and evenings when needed. PS. Saskatoon only grades a couple streets and not well, residential never gets done so i wouldnt complain.

This is a seasonal (winter) issue.