On the Road

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Q: Is it illegal to shovel snow from a private driveway or private property onto the road?

A: The short answer to this question is yes. It is against the law to shovel snow onto a public street, highway or roadway. In fact, Section 181 of the Highway Traffic Act makes it an offence to deposit snow or ice onto a highway, and anyone caught doing so will be fined $115.

The main offenders are private snowplowing companies contracted to clear driveways and parking lots after a heavy snowfall and sometimes with little room to spare. However, leaving a trough of snow or ice across the travelled lanes of the public roadway is definitely illegal and the police will issue tickets for the offence.

A new twist to the snowplowing dilemma has surfaced this year, likely because of the amount of snow we are receiving.

Seemingly, people think it's OK to shovel out their driveways and dump the snow on the new TTC streetcar right-of-ways along the centre of St. Clair Avenue, perhaps thinking those streetcar alleys are private property and not part of the actual roadway. Well guess again, dedicated streetcar lanes are part of the public roadways and throwing unwanted snow in that direction is illegal and often causes ice to jam track switches and other rail mechanisms leading to huge delays in streetcar service.

In addition to the Highway Traffic Act charge, the City of Toronto also has a bylaw that prohibits shovelling snow and ice onto city property including sidewalks and side streets.

With more snow and cold temperatures still in the forecast, those driveway snowbanks won't be shrinking too much in the near future. While the thought on those pesky snow days is to "be nice and clear the ice" from sidewalks and driveways, please don't create another hazard by throwing it onto the road.

Q: One quick question, when walking on a road with no sidewalks, should I walk on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic or walk on the side going with traffic or does it matter?

A: Fortunately, most city streets have a sidewalk on at least one side of the roadway; however there are still a few locations with no sidewalks. Pedestrians faced with walking on a roadway with no sidewalks regardless of whether it is day or night, should always walk on the side of oncoming traffic. From a visibility standpoint it may not be a great advantage for an approaching motorist, but it certainly is for a pedestrian who can now clearly see traffic approaching them and if necessary, take evasive action to avoid being struck.

Many pedestrians have been struck from behind and either killed or seriously injured simply because they didn't hear or see the vehicle approaching.

If walking after dark, always wear light-coloured clothing to increase the chances of being seen by motorists and if possible, wear something reflective.