A new pilot program is making it easier for St. Catharines residents to stay informed about winter control operations. Where’s My Plow? is an online tracking tool that provides real-time (15-minute delayed) updates on City-operated snow plows, helping residents better plan travel and understand the City’s winter maintenance operations.
“This pilot program is part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and service improvements for residents,” said Acting Director of Municipal Works Chris Anders. “This tool will give residents insight into our snow and ice control operations.”
The plow tracker provides real-time insights into winter road maintenance, with several key features:
- Street service tracking: The map updates every 15 minutes, with streets changing colour based on when they were last serviced.
- City vehicles only: During this initial phase, the tracker includes City-operated large truck snow removal vehicles. Sidewalk equipment and Contractor vehicles are not yet visible but are planned to be added in future phases.
- Service levels: The City prioritizes roads starting with Main and Designated Secondaries, followed by through Secondaries and Secondary cul de sacs and deadends. If another snow event occurs, Staff go back to the Main and Designated Secondaries.
Residents may notice plows frequently on main roads, even when residential streets are still snow-covered. This is because our service level is bare pavement on Main and Designated Secondaries. Once main routes are sufficiently cleared, Staff shift focus to secondary streets.
Not all plows may appear on the tracker. While large City-owned plows are visible, contractor vehicles do not yet appear on the map. The City is working toward including more vehicles in future updates.
The 15-minute delay in the tracker helps ensure safe operations while still providing timely updates. If a resident sees a plow on their street but it doesn’t appear on the tracker, it may be due to this delay, or the plow may be a contractor vehicle that is not yet GPS-enabled.
The City is exploring opportunities to expand the program to include sidewalk plows, contractor vehicles and additional snow removal equipment.
For more information on Where’s My Plow? and a link to the new tracking tool, visit stcatharines.ca/PlowTracker.
Residents can also find details on the City’s winter maintenance service levels at stcatharines.ca/SnowRemovalProcess.