Snow Clearing
Winter Road Maintenance and Snow Removal
Roads are plowed and sanded according to the Snow Management Plan. Different areas have different priority zones, which are based on transit, school bus and emergency vehicle routes. During a snowfall, crews will keep plowing the highest priority zones to ensure main roads are clear before moving on to other areas. Click on the map for details.
Register for ALERTS, including parking bans when there is snow removal on your street
Snow Removal Schedule
Our Streets Team clears snow of the roads in priority order, leaving snow piles and windrows or berms alongside parking areas. Crews remove snow piles and windrows after most roads are plowed or graded. Because cars park in front of snow windrows, the Town places signage at least 72 hours ahead of planned snow removal to give residents enough time to plan to remove their vehicle from the signed areas for the designated date on the sign.
Please remove your vehicle from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. on the day designated or your vehicle will be towed. Register to receive ALERTS including when there is a parking ban on your street.
*Note: schedule could change with additional snowfall, which may require crews to return to clearing priority streets.
If you notice an intersection, crosswalk or road that needs more ice control, report the location online through an Action Request or call 403.762.1240.
Snow Management Plan
All Town of Banff roads are plowed based on a priority system outlined in the Town’s Snow Management Map (PDF). Road maintenance is done seven days a week throughout the winter season. Response during and after a snowfall involves snow plowing a driving lane and sanding. Priority 1 is plowed within 24 hours of a snowfall; Priority 2 is plowed within 24 hours of a snowfall, or after Priority 1 is completed to satisfactory condition.
What's New?
There are overnight winter parking regulations in the downtown core. Please do not park in the restricted zone between 2 to 7 a.m. This allows safe and efficient snow removal before business hours.
Priority 1 (Red Zone): All major arterial streets, the roads in the downtown core, bus routes and access to emergency services
Priority 2 (Blue Zone): Intersections, corners, hills, school zones, and known problem areas, after the Red Zone routes are considered in satisfactory condition
Priority 3 and 4: Assigned based on gradient and volume
Parking Lots: Generally maintained after Priority 2 is satisfactory, during hours where use of the parking lots is at a minimum
Sidewalks: Adjacent to municipal property, paved and unpaved trails, municipal stairways (e.g Tatanga stairs), the gazebo and areas around public washrooms are maintained by the town according to the priority system. Property owners are responsible for clearing public sidewalks along their property lines. Failure to clear sidewalks could result in a $100 fine. Find out more about the responsibility of property owners to clear sidewalks.
Parking During a Snow Event
The Town will post temporary ’no parking’ signs on streets to work on snow removal. Town bylaws allow for the removal of cars in temporary no parking zones after 24 hours.
Real Time Locations of Snow Maintenance Equipment
Most Town of Banff snow management vehicles are equipped with GPS sensors which report their current location and speed. This information is updated every 5 minutes on the Banff Snow Management Map so you can see where vehicles are currently located, as well as where they’ve been today. Staff also post live field updates to the map letting the public know when and where snow removal work will be done.