1. Public Works Roads Operations
5/27/2018
Winter Control
Public Works Roads Operations

2. 5/27/2018
What are we doing now?
Winter maintenance of 2700 centre lane km of roadways and 250 bridges
Combination of in-house and contracted services
9 operating areas
71 plow routes – takes 6-8 hours to complete
Deployment of resources based on the provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards (MMS) and the council approved Level of Service (LOS)

3. Staffing 3 Managers 9 Supervisors 4 Seasonal Supervisors 6 Patrollers
42 Equipment Operators
17 Heavy Equipment Operators
18 FTE Seasonal

4. 5/27/2018
What is it costing us?

5. 5/27/2018
Level of Service
The Council approved Level of Service Policy outlines the service levels for roadways based on road class for:
snow accumulation
sanding & salting
icy roads
winging back of snow banks
snow removal
winter patrol

6. Level of Service
Minimum Maintenance Standards Classification
Response to Snow Accumulation
Road Class
CKL Road
Priority
Maximum
Depth
Time
Cycle 1
N/A 2
1-Arterial
2.5 cm
4 hours 3 4
2 - Collector
8 cm
12 hours 5
3 - Residential
Similar information is included in the policy for icy roads response, snow bank winging back, and snow removal.

7. State of Readiness Beginning of Winter 50% Operational October 31
November 15
Initiate Night Patrol
November 8
End of Winter
March 31
End of Night Patrol
April 15

8. Operations
85 – 90% of average daily traffic occurs between 5am and 9pm
Operations are geared to meet this demand
Full-time staff in Monday to Friday
A small number of operators regularly work evening and night time hours
Resources are called in as required

9. 5/27/2018
Winter Patrol
Patrollers drive a representative route to monitor and record weather and road conditions
Provide account of road conditions to supervisors and assist in developing a deployment plan
Call in city staff for winter maintenance operations when authorized

10. Winter Operations Room
Winter Operations Room Supervisors are responsible for providing supervision to equipment operators, patrollers and contractors
Two shifts Monday to Friday: 3pm – 11pm and 11pm – 7am
24 hours on weekends
Manages emergency responses
Manages winter contracts

11. Operations
Resources are deployed when snow or ice accumulation is greater than the depth specified in the council approved LOS based on road class.
Priority:
Snow
2.5 cm
8 cm
8 cm

12. Factors to consider Road classification
Type of material used (sand or salt)
Urban vs Rural
Road temperature
Air temperature
Dewpoint
Forecasted weather
Proactive vs Reactive

13. Operations Review
Managers, Supervisors and Patrol did an extensive debrief in the spring of 2015
Identified a number of areas that could be improved
A kaizen was held to look at the Winter Operations Room and Patrol processes
Changes will be made to this area for the upcoming winter

14. The Kaizen Team Rod Porter Area Manager Oliver Vigelius Nate Boudens
Team Member
Position
Rod Porter
Area Manager
Oliver Vigelius
Nate Boudens
Acting Area Manager
Michel Gratton
Supervisor
Warren Nicholishen
Scott Berdan
John Rychel
Patroller
Dale Weaver
Brenda Stonehouse
Process Improvement Facilitator

15. New Process

16. Operational Changes Re-established 3 patrol routes
Last year there were 2 representative routes but routes were too long
Have now created East, West and North patrol routes
New patrol schedule developed
Can be assigned to road patrol based on weather conditions (checking streetlights, signs, potholes, shoulder drop-offs, etc.)

17. Operational Changes Re-established 3 patrol routes
Each patrol route takes 5 – 6 hours to complete
During patrol the condition of each road is observed and documented
A patroller will drive over 165,000km in a winter season (6 months)
3 shifts providing 24/7 coverage

18. Operational Changes Clarified Roles & Responsibilities
Clear roles and responsibilities identified for Patrol Supervisor, Daytime Supervisor, Winter Operations Room Supervisor, Patroller
Reporting structure and communication channels established
Eliminates duplication

19. Operational Changes Eliminated supervisory duplication
5/27/2018
Operational Changes
Eliminated supervisory duplication
Winter Operations Room is in command of winter maintenance operations from 3pm – 7am Monday to Friday and 24 hours on weekends
Daytime supervisors in command of their depot area 7am – 4pm Monday to Friday
Supervisors are not required at 4am during call outs
Productivity enhancement for supervisors

20. Operational Changes
Established process for monitoring and documenting weather forecasts
Identified official weather forecast provider
Established centralized archiving
Eliminated duplication of records (both paper and digital)

21. Operational Changes Proactive Planning Document created
Patrol, WOR, Supervisors will all be using the same document
Documents past – recent events; existing or ongoing events; course of action/plan
Used throughout the shift as conditions warrant
Shared at shift changes – patrol, supervisor, WOR

22. Operational Changes Created Winter Event Record Summary
Tracking sheet used to document information on winter events
Required to be filled out by each supervisor for each event
Tracked centrally
Data will allow us to start identifying trends by depot area

23. Operational Changes Data Collection Plan established
Checklists created for forms – patrol, supervisor, WOR
GPS Winter Operations Report to track each plow truck – time and materials
Winter Event Records to track weather and road conditions

24. Operational Changes Training Plan
Comprehensive training plan for operators, patrollers, supervisors, managers
Standard operating procedures for new forms, communication and deployment
Consistent deployment based on the council approved Level of Service

25. Public Education & Communication
Public Education & Communication Plan
Provide information to the public on our winter operations Level of Service and what they can expect
Promote winter road safety
Handy tips
Enhance the profile of Public Works

26. Expected Results
Consistent deployment based on council approved Level of Service
Reduction in overtime
Consistent material usage
Productivity enhancement by eliminating duplication
Consistent management of contracted resources

27. Level of Service
The Winter Roadway Level of Service outlines the minimum level of service for winter maintenance
The Policy has been reviewed and recommended changes will be presented to Council in a report on October 27
Changes more accurately reflect current practices

28. Recommended Changes
Minimum Maintenance Standards Classification
Response to Snow Accumulation
Road Class
CKL Road
Priority
Maximum
Depth
(Current & MMS)
Time Cycle
(Recommended)
Time
Cycle 1
N/A 2
1-Arterial
5 cm
6 hours
2.5 cm
4 hours 3
8 cm
12 hours 4
2 - Collector
16 hours 5
3 - Residential
10 cm
24 hours
20 arterial routes and 51 secondary routes (collector/residential)

29. Deployment
Resources are deployed as required to meet the council approved Level of Service
Opportunities for cost savings are found by managing resource deployment
Opportunity to reduce overtime and material costs on weekends by adhering to the Level of Service

30. Savings of 102 truck deployments over one weekend
Deployment scenario
2.5cm
Saturday
2.5cm
Sunday
Monday
0 cm
Arterial Roads
Collector & Residential Roads
Labour Costs
Material used
20 trucks
Time & a half
Salt
20 trucks
Double Time
Salt
20 trucks
51 trucks
Regular Time
Salt and Sand
Savings of 102 truck deployments over one weekend

31. Potential savings of $50,100 in this scenario
5/27/2018
Potential Savings
Saturday
Sunday
2.5cm
2.5cm
Labour Costs
Materials
TOTAL
$14,200
$8,500
$22,700
$18,900
$8,500
$27,400
Potential savings of $50,100 in this scenario

32. Next Steps
Level of Service Policy recommendations to Council on October 27
All operational changes have been put in place for the 2015/2016 winter season
Monitor and make required changes throughout the season
Provide Council with a debrief and recommendations for 2016/2017 season