CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – The City of Cambridge says it’s still putting a lot of effort into handling tough winter weather, as shifting temperatures, snow, and freezing rain keep making the roads and sidewalks tricky to navigate.
In an update from Jan. 8, the city said their plows and salt trucks have been out constantly across the area. Staff are working non-stop to deal with more calls than usual about snow and ice cleanup.
Officials pointed out that quick temperature changes have caused icy spots even on streets they’ve already treated. Freezing rain mixed with snow and slush has made things harder for the crews in charge of winter maintenance, and they warned some roads might stay slick despite all their efforts.
The city explained that this winter came early and has stuck around longer than normal, meaning crews have had to keep up with clearing snow, slush, and ice across Cambridge’s streets for quite a while now. When it snows, they focus first on main roads, secondary streets, emergency routes plus hills and bridges so everyone can get around safely and emergency services aren’t slowed down.
To help out, Cambridge is adding local winter sand along with road salt. They said this is a common move among Ontario towns especially since road salt is a bit harder to come by right now across the province.
“Public safety remains a top priority and we will make every effort to keep Council and the public informed of any developments relating to weather, travel, or supply updates,” said Rob Axiak, City Manager for Cambridge. “Residents are encouraged to exercise caution while travelling, to keep roads clear of parked vehicles during snow events, to allow additional travel time and to please be patient while we work to respond to ongoing and lengthy periods of snow and ice.”
The city shared that since the season started they’ve heard from over 1,370 residents about issues related to snow. The most common complaints include sidewalks not being cleared properly, residential streets covered in snow, plus problems caused by cars parked during snowstorms.
To help with these concerns and give people easier access to info, the city put together answers for their five most asked questions about winter maintenance. Officials want folks to quickly find what they need so they understand when services happen and how they’re handled.
If you need winter road maintenance help you can ask through the Service Cambridge Portal; you can also send in by-law concerns online. Their website has detailed guidelines on winter care along with a list showing declared snow events. Plus Cambridge keeps sharing parking restrictions during these events on social media – saying they’ll step up updates about road conditions throughout this whole snowy season.
The city’s by-law officers have been busy too making sure no one parks where plows or emergency vehicles need space during snow events. From Nov. 28, 2025 through Jan. 6, 2026 alone they handed out 2,631 tickets related to parking rules during snowfall.
Looking closer at enforcement numbers: there were 681 tickets given between Nov. 28-30 during one set of storms; then another 338 tickets issued Dec. 10-12; after that from Dec. 28-31 officers gave out 1,315 tickets plus did eleven vehicle towings; since Jan. 5 another 297 tickets went out along with three more vehicle removals.
Apart from parking rules enforcement, the city kept track of requests about sidewalk conditions too – receiving 212 service calls from Nov. 28 through Jan.6 regarding corridor snow or icy sidewalks. In those cases ,23 tickets were handed out because people didn’t clear their sidewalks properly , the city added.
The officials know lots of people are frustrated by these long stretches of bad weather but reassured residents that crews will keep at it no matter how tough or drawn-out these snowy times get. The city asked everyone for patience as staff handle whatever kind of weather hits them next.
With winter still going strong , Cambridge remains focused on keeping folks safe , making sure key routes stay open , and doing better at keeping residents updated while dealing with everything this active season throws at them.
