Roads

Residents who notice a deteriorated asphalt can contact the Public Works Department:

• Providing:
  • Their complete contact information
  • A brief description of the request
  • The specific location where service is required (address, intersection, streets)
• Completing an online request (a follow-up number is provided)
• Leaving a message at 450-424-8000, ext. 250
• Transmitting a picture using the Voilà signalement app.

The City would like to remind you of the guidelines to follow to ensure that snow-clearing operations run smoothly. The complete cooperation of residents is required to prevent delays and allow everyone to enjoy streets that are cleared of snow and made safer using abrasives more quickly.

At the start of the season, the snow-clearing contractor installs stakes along the road for snow removal operations. These must remain in place since they help guide snow-removal workers.

Our annual snow-removal contract costs over $1.2 M plus taxes (does not include the cost of abrasives).

Snow-removal basics:  

• Snow removal with an accumulation of 2.5 cm of snow.
• 12 snow-removal plows or other equipment for the City’s streets.
• 2 municipal snow-removal plows or other equipment specifically for sidewalks and multi-use paths.   
• Snow removal over 440 km of theCity’s streets (220 km x 2 sides), representing just over 500 streets and arteries.   
• 5 hours to complete one round of snow removal throughout City.
• Spreading of abrasives (mix of salt and crushed stone) completed in 4 hours or less throughout the territory once precipitation ends. 

Snow plows:

• Cannot come at a set time since snow removal can occur any time of day.
• Prioritize main arteries followed by residential neighbourhoods. 
• Cannot respect a set schedule since snowfall can occur any time of day.
• Do not lift their shovel at each of the 8,000 or more private entrances in order to ensure the uniform quality of street snow clearing throughout the City's territory. Residents are therefore responsible for removing the snow that has accumulated in their driveways after the plow passes (repeated passes may be required).
• Are not responsible for snow removal on provincial roads, specifically Route de la Cité-des-Jeunes and Route 201.

Abrasives

The City uses two different combinations composed of salt (melting substance) and stone (abrasive) during its snow-removal operations. These products, whether used on their own or combined, are chosen depending on their effectiveness at certain temperatures.

Temporary shelters

Temporary car shelters can be installed starting October 15. Make sure you comply with municipal by-laws when doing so.

Visible address

Addresses must be visible from the road in order for emergency vehicles to quickly locate them your home for required interventions (ambulance, firefighters, first responders).

• Remove any snow
• Cut back trees and bushes

Snow markers/stakes

Fire hydrants

It is forbidden to obstruct or interfere with the access, maintenance, repair, snow removal, visibility and use of fire hydrants.

Snow forts, igloos and sledding hills

Snow-clearing workers sit high up in their cabins. Their visibility is always greatly reduced, and even more so during snowstorms. Don’t let your children play near the side of the road. They could easily be hit by motorists or snow-clearing vehicles, or be buried under the snow.

Property damage

How to notify the City of damage?

1. By filling out an online request (a follow-up number is provided)
2. By leaving a message at 450-424-8000, ext. 250
3. By sending a picture using the Voilà signalement app.

You must provide:

• Your complete contact information
• A short description of your request
• The specific location where the service is required (address, intersection, streets)

Public roads and rights-of-way

It is prohibited to dump, accumulate, blow or push snow or ice into public roads or any other public location.

Public roads must remain open at all times for the passage of:

• Emergency vehicles (if the passage is too narrow, vehicles are forced to back up or conduct dangerous manoeuvres, which causes delays in reaching a person who needs help)
• Snowplows
• Snow collection trucks

Municipal rights-of-way (variable, but minimally 1.5 metres) must not be obstructed by:

• Temporary shelters (rules apply to their installation)
• Landscaping (rocks, low walls, etc.)
• Christmas trees for collection (in your private entrance)
• Collection bins
• Bulky items/waste
• Sports equipment (hockey goals, basketball hoops)
• Plastic snow stakes (note that only plastic snow stakes are permitted – metal stakes are PROHIBITED since they can damage equipment and cause injuries when they are buried under the snow)

Failure to adhere to this may result in your equipment or goods being knocked over and/or damaged.

If you are bothered by crushed stone that is left behind in the municipal right-of-way after snow-clearing operations, install a membrane in the fall. That way, when spring comes, it will be much easier to get rid of the remaining crushed stone.

An assessment must be done before new guard rails can be added. Anticipate a 6-month period for analysis.

Residents can submit a request for new guard rails or notify the City of damaged ones by:

• Providing:
  • Their complete contact information
  • A brief description of the request
  • The specific location where service is required (address, intersection, streets)
• Completing an online request (a follow-up number is provided)
• Leaving a message at 450-424-8000, ext. 250
• Transmitting a picture using the Voilà signalement app.

Every year, when weather conditions are favourable, the municipal team begins cleaning the road and bike network. This spring clean-up begins when:

• snowfall is no longer expected (in Québec, it is not uncommon for the last snowfall to hit in mid-April - abrasives that are still on the road help ensure that cars can continue to travel safely).
• snow has melted in municipal rights-of-way (a municipal right-of-way is the portion of land alongside the paved roadway, between 1 and 9 metres deep depending on the configuration of the lot – it must be kept free of all non-compliant obstacles, constructions or installations such as landscaping, decorative rocks or sprinkler heads).

The duration of this spring clean-up varies based on municipal priorities and the weather.

The operation consists of running mechanical brooms over 67 km² of the territory, consisting of 400 km of municipal roads or 500 streets along more than 8,000 properties and along sidewalks in Saint-Lazare’s downtown core.

Cleaning up crushed stone

Crushed stone is cleaned up in 95% of the City sectors (the other 5% consists of sectors with low population density). The clean-up is a 3-step process:

• Step 1: A tractor sweeper passes on both sides of the street and pushes the crushed stone to the roadside (do not call the Town since the clean-up operation is not complete at this stage)
• Step 2: A mechanical broom passes to recover the largest volume of crushed stone (do not call the City since the clean-up operation is not complete at this stage)
• Step 3: A vacuum sweeper does a final run to pick up the rest of the crushed stone

These 3 steps can take several hours or may be done a few days apart. Thank you for your patience.

Note that in agricultural sectors and sectors with low population density (about 5% of the territory), the stone is pushed into the municipal right-of-way. The owners who live in these areas and who are inconvenienced by this stone are invited to collect it in boxes and bring the stone to the Vaudreuil Ecocentre where this material is accepted.

For any questions related to street cleaning, contact:

As soon as the weather permits, the Public Works team conducts a territory check and temporarily seals potholes during the winter season and early spring. When weather permits, permanent repairs are made.

Unless the situation is urgent, the City will wait until it has several requests before sending out crews to fill holes.

To notify the City of a pothole:

1. By filling out an online request (a follow-up number is provided)
2. By leaving a message at 450-424-8000, ext. 250
3. By sending a picture using the Voilà signalement app.

You must provide:

• Your complete contact information
• A short description of your request
• The specific location where the service is required (address, intersection, streets)

Residents can request the grading of an unpaved municipal road. Certain weather conditions are essential to the success of this operation. Requests can be made by:

• Providing:
  • their complete contact information
  • a brief description of the request
  • the specific location where service is required (address, intersection, streets)
• Completing an online request (a follow-up number is provided)
• Leaving a message at 450-424-8000, extension 250

Pavement marking on roads, pedestrian crossings and bike paths is done every year, generally before the end of June. Residents who notice the absence of pavement markings or inadequate pavement markings can notify the Service des infrastructures by:

• Providing:
  • their complete contact information
  • a brief description of the request
  • the specific location where service is required (address, intersection, streets)
• Completing an online request (a follow-up number is provided)
• Leaving a message at 450-424-8000, ext. 299

Residents can submit a request to have their (gravel) street paved by following the steps outlined below. The process is different for:

• a street that has existed less than 3 years
• a street that has existed more than 3 years

The process involves several regulatory steps that must be respected, starting with the petition submitted by the residents.

Read the full text of by-law 013 here.

Certain roads on Saint-Lazare’s territory belong to Transports Québec—most notably, Route de la Cité-des-Jeunes. This road is not maintained by the City. As such, all requests concerning Route de la Cité-des-Jeunes must be submitted to:

Transports Québec (Vaudreuil service centre)
450-455-6109

Residents who notice a damaged sign or defective (speed display) sign can notify Public Works by:

• Providing:
  • Their complete contact information
  • A brief description of the request
  • The specific location where service is required (address, intersection, streets)
• Completing an online request (a follow-up number is provided)
• Leaving a message at 450-424-8000, ext. 250
• Transmitting a picture using the Voilà signalement app.

Calling 311 outside of regular hours of operation (evenings and weekends) or on statutory holidays.