After a snowfall, all on-road bikeways are salted and/or plowed at about the same time as the adjacent road, based on the levels of service. The table below indicates the criteria for clearing based on road categories.
Road Category | When does the City start plowing? | How many hours does it take to complete salting and plowing after the end of a snowfall (from 5 cm to 25 cm)? |
---|---|---|
Martin Goodman Trail (Humber Bay Arch Bridge to Ashbridges Bay) | 5.0 cm and still snowing | 6-8 hours |
Cycle Tracks* | 5.0 cm and still snowing | 6-8 hours |
Priority Bicycle Lanes (east-west & north-south)* |
5.0 cm and still snowing | As per road classification. Full removal within 48 – 72 hours when required to achieve bare pavement. |
Bicycle lanes, contra-flow and sharrows on Arterial Roads and Streetcar Routes* | 5.0 cm and still snowing | 6-14 hours |
Bicycle lanes, contra-flow and sharrows on Collector Roads, Bus Routes and Hills* | 5.0 cm and still snowing | 8-16 hours |
*For storms up to 5 cm, these bikeways are salted to a higher level of service as the road to which they are on or adjacent.
Please call 311 or visit toronto.ca/311 to report a route that is not cleared after the timeframe specified above. If you have a question regarding general snow removal from cycling routes, please email cycling@toronto.ca.
The City’s standards for snow plowing, salting and snow removal are outlined in a 2014 Staff Report adopted by Toronto’s Public Works Committee, which proposed winter maintenance improvements to create a network of cycling snow routes.
See the Cycling Network Map for updated bikeways in Toronto.
Please see the list of Winter Maintained Paths/Roads throughout the city’s parks.