Winnipeg snow-clearing app finally ready to roll

In case you failed to notice the cooler weather, the City of Winnipeg just confirmed winter is imminent.

Winnipeg's public works department announced Monday it has completed its Know Your Zone snow-clearing app, which lets Winnipeg residents know whether their street is being plowed or will soon be plowed.

The app, available from the Apple app store right now and soon from the Google app store, also lets motorists know where they can park when their streets are being cleared.

It uses a city map to mark streets undergoing plowing in red, while streets that will undergo plowing during the next 12-hour shift are coloured amber. Designated snow routes are outlined in blue.

Public works spokesman Ken Allen said the city released the app now so residents can download it before the winter.

The release comes 10 months after Winnipegger Jame Perih built his own Know Your Zone app over the course of a weekend, using city data.

Allen said the city wanted to test its app thoroughly and make it bilingual. The app was developed using existing city financial resources, he said.

He also encouraged Winnipeggers to provide feedback about the app.