Edmonton Avoids Residential Parking Ban as Snow Removal Progresses
City officials in Edmonton have announced that no phase 2 residential parking ban will be implemented during the current snow removal operations, thanks to a combination of strategic planning and favorable weather conditions.
Contractor Deployment and Weather Cooperation
The deployment of 100 additional private contractors, combined with lower-than-anticipated snowfall, has enabled the city to clear main roads to regular standards more efficiently than expected. Infrastructure field operations supervisor Valerie Dacyk provided an update on Friday, February 20, 2026, detailing the city's progress in clearing streets affected by last weekend's polar vortex.
"Current snowpack readings from the driving lanes are averaging four to five centimetres city-wide," Dacyk stated. "In order to minimize impact on residents but provide a service to residential roads, we will be completing a grooming cycle over the next 10 to 14 days."
Clearing Strategy and Progress Metrics
The city's approach involves using truck plows with special ice blades to attend to every residential road, flattening the snowpack and minimizing rutting while providing additional traction. Sand application at entrances and intersections further enhances safety. Crews have been working around the clock since the snow stopped, with the additional contractors assisting the city's fleet of graders.
Progress reports indicate significant achievements:
- 72% of priority two roads cleared, including freeways, bus routes, arterial roadways, business districts, collector roadways, and transit park and ride access roads
- 73% of the city's active winter priority bike loop cleared
- Upwards of 70% of main roadways cleared by Wednesday afternoon
- 60% of active pathways cleared during the same period
Learning from Past Experiences
The city's proactive measures come in response to widespread public outcry following the Christmas holiday period, when 72 cm of snow took nearly three weeks to clear and resulted in reports of residents attacking snow plows with shovels. Determined to prevent similar incidents, city officials contracted the additional private contractors even before the snow stopped falling this time.
Dacyk noted that while a phase 1 parking ban remains in effect for main roads, cooperation with snow removal crews has been better than at the start of the year. No incidents of violent attacks on city vehicles have been reported during this round of snow removal, though she acknowledged that previous incidents occurred during residential plowing operations rather than on main streets.
Residential Road Strategy
The additional contractors will not be employed to clear residential roads directly. Instead, the city will implement a grooming cycle using specialized equipment. Dacyk explained that initial predictions of up to 30 cm of snow did not materialize, with Edmonton receiving an average of 22 cm across the city—making residential streets less buried than anticipated.
Crews will begin clearing alleyways during the weekend before moving on to residential streets. While no parking ban will be enforced for residential areas, Dacyk emphasized that residents could accelerate the process by ensuring they aren't parked on the roads during clearing operations.
The city's coordinated response demonstrates improved winter maintenance planning following previous challenges, with officials balancing efficient snow removal with minimal disruption to residents' daily lives.
