PENTICTON — Snowflakes or snow plow: the City of Penticton is issuing a survey this week to gauge residents’ expectations in relation to snow and ice removal.

“The City of Penticton prides itself on quality service to its customers. Sometimes those customers have different expectations in terms of snow removal, and this survey will help us understand what those priorities are,” said Mayor Garry Litke.

The survey asks 16 questions that include rating current service levels of snow and ice control and gauging the importance of control measures on roadways, sidewalks, lanes and trails. Residents and businesses can provide input on what their expectations are, and what they consider to be priorities.

In order to allocate snow and ice control resources efficiently, surfaces including roads, lanes, sidewalks and recreational walkways are prioritized into three different levels.

Priority 1 areas include main collector roads, steep grades, emergency routes and main transit routes, and are serviced to ensure they are open within 12 hours of a storm. Priority 2 areas include secondary collector roads, industrial routes, school zones and minor transit routes, and are serviced to ensure they are opened within 24 hours of a storm ending. Priority 3 areas are residential roads, lanes and walkways, and are opened within 48 hours of the storm ending.

As the City prepares for the winter months, now is a good time for residents to nominate a Neighbourhood Snow Angel. The City of Penticton's Snow Angels campaign encourages Penticton's citizens to lend a helping hand to a neighbour who may not be able to clear the snow from their sidewalks themselves, and residents can nominate a Snow Angel in their area for recognition.

The survey is available in hard copy at reception at City Hall (171 Main St.) and the City Yards (616 Okanagan Ave. East). Residents and businesses can also complete the survey online by visiting www.penticton.ca/Snow. The deadline to complete the survey is Jan. 31, 2014.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013