ActivitiesSnow removal in the Municipality of Chester (and pretty much all municipalities) is a shared effort between us, the NS Department of Transportation & Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR), RCMP and citizens.
Road Conditions and Plowing
All provincial roads are plowed by NSTIR. Provincial roads include highways, routes, and all roads represented by a green road sign. Visit NSTIR's website for information such as,
- When roads are expected to be plowed - road priorities
- Plow tracker
- Highway cameras
- Road conditions
- Winter travel safety
The Municipality only plows roads that are owned and maintained by the Municipality. We also plow our own infrastructure, such as sewer pump stations and sidewalks (see below). If you call us about plowing roads other than our own, we will direct you to NSTIR through website or telephone. Save the extra dialing and call NSTIR first.
Winter Parking Ban
Winter Parking Ban Regulations are in effect from December 15 to March 31. This means that you cannot park on any street maintained by NSTIR between 1:00 and 7:00 a.m. until the parking ban ends. ALSO, you cannot park on the street an hour after a storm starts until two hours after it ends. This is because NSTIR is trying to clear roads for safe passage as quickly and as efficiently as they can. Avoiding parked vehicles makes for a messy plow job and leaves drivers annoyed because they are plowed in. To circumvent the problem, the RCMP can have your vehicle towed (at your expense) if you obstruct winter maintenance (like plowing, salting, sanding, etc) or you can be fined under the Motor Vehicle Act. Incidentally, if you plow driveways, it’s illegal to plow snow across a street or onto a sidewalk.
Clearing Sidewalks
The Municipality of Chester clears and maintains all sidewalks in the District.
A BRIEF summary of what our contractor is responsible for:
- The contractor provides snow plowing and sand/salt on all of our sidewalks;
- Clearing starts within one hour after the end of storms where accumulation is 5cm or more;
- If it's a prolonged snowstorm, clearing will probably start during the storm and not after;
- Sidewalks should be substantially cleared within six hours of start time - unless snowfall is significantly great; and
- Salt/sand mix is spread as necessary on snowfall amounts under 5cm and if greater, salt/sand is spread immediately after snow clearing.
Private Roads
If you live on a private road, maintaining it is your responsibility or that of your homeowners association. Neither the Municipality nor NSTIR plow private roads. To add to this, if snow isn't removed or if it's too icy, our waste collector won't travel on it to collect waste.
