Snow may turn our cityscapes into beautiful white backdrops, but it also poses a huge challenge for cities. Whether from a logistical or safety point of view, snow has an impact on the daily lives of citizens. Faced with snowfall, municipalities are deploying rigorous snow removal plans to maintain the flow of traffic and ensure the safety of their residents.
What are the effects of snow on urban infrastructure?
In the event of storms or snowfall, the consequences are numerous and vary depending on the type of urban infrastructure.
Roads, pavements, sidewalks
Snowfall and snow piles make roads difficult for cars, buses and pedestrians to navigate. This is because the roads are slippery and visibility decreases, which increases the danger. This disrupts normal traffic, causes delays and road accidents. Related public transport (metro, train, etc.) can also be affected by a massive influx of people who can no longer use their cars or bus networks.
Emergency services, Samu, firefighters, are also impacted by the state of the roads and traffic. If these emergency services are struggling to get around, it is the assistance to vulnerable people that suffers at the end of the chain.
Pedestrians, especially the elderly and those with reduced mobility, must also be particularly vigilant toavoid falling and injuring themselves.
Traffic Signs and Traffic Lights
Even if roads remain passable, snow can hide or even bury road signs and traffic lights, posing an additional danger to road users. City departments should strive to keep this equipment clear and functional to maintain driver safety.
Power Grids
Snow can cause power outages due to its weight on power lines. Ice also damages electrical infrastructure. Several preventive measures can be considered, such as pruning trees to prevent branches from breaking under the weight of the snow and falling on the lines. Insulating electrical equipment with insulating and anti-icing materials or manually removing snow from power lines with special poles are also options.
Buildings
Snow accumulation on building roofs can lead to overloading problems, especially if the snow is wet and heavy. This causes roof collapses, leaks and even partial collapses.
Sewerage networks
With the melting of the snow, the flow of water will put a strain on rainwater sanitation systems. Melted snow can lead to flooding if sewers become clogged with snow or if pipes don't work properly.
Snow removal from roads and sidewalks is mandatory
In the event of a storm or heavy snowfall, snow removal from roads and sidewalks in the city is mandatory. To anticipate these phenomena and implement preventive actions, meteorological services monitor forecasts on a daily basis. Each city has set its own weather thresholds. If a snowstorm is forecast, it is up to the municipal services to decide, based on the snow cover and forecasts, to activate its snow removal plan.
The aim is to minimise snow and ice piles, especially on roads and in public spaces. In addition to maintaining the flow of traffic, these snow removal plans also ensure the safety of citizens. In these snow removal plans, the routes will be classified according to their importance and use.
To define priority areas, the city will take into account the location of schools, hospitals, evacuation routes, etc. Logically, the main arteries are first cleared with imposing snowplows. Then, secondary roads and sidewalks are treated with more compact equipment as well as snow blowers that can be used in tighter spaces.
The snow removal plan specifies the necessary operations
Cities must provide the necessary equipment for snow removal, such as snow plows, salt spreaders and snow blowers. They must also recruit sufficient staff and possibly train them in the use of the equipment. The plan also shows the location of salt and sand storage, snow removal equipment and also the places where the collected snow will be deposited.
Of course, the plan specifies the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency: evacuation of certain areas and coordination with emergency services. The snow removal plan must be shared with the entire population concerned in the territory so that they can adapt to the snow removal operations, prepare alternative routes and apply the safety instructions.
In any case, weather monitoring is essential, before, during and after the event, in order to intervene quickly in the event of further snowfall.
Salt and sand used to clear snow
The use of salt and sand is a common practice in urban snow removal operations. They are used to prevent ice formation, improve vehicle grip on snow-covered roads, and facilitate snow removal. Salt and sand can be deposited before, during and after a snowstorm:
The dosage of salt and sand is controlled to avoid degrading the environment. This is because too much salt can have detrimental effects on waterways and soils. Sand is often used in combination with salt for several reasons. Even though it doesn't have a melting effect, it improves grip on the roads by creating a rough surface. In addition, sand is sometimes more economical and will have less impact on nature than salt.
Snow management in the city is not limited to a simple task of clearing, but encompasses a multitude of actions to be put in place. Both for the maintenance of the mobility and safety of the inhabitants, and for the preservation of the environment. The snow removal plan remains an essential strategy to mitigate the impacts of snow and maintain the proper functioning of city life.