Clear spray, visors possible solutions to snow-covered traffic signals

A non-stick spray and special visors are two ideas the City of Winnipeg is looking at testing to prevent snow and ice from building up on traffic lights.

After a storm blew in last Wednesday and into Thursday, city crews spent days clearing traffic signals that had become partially covered. The city blamed new LED lights, which are more energy efficient anddon't get as hot other kinds of lights.

One possible solution is to spray the lenses with a clear material that prevents snow from sticking to them. The city is also considering installing visors that would block the snow, city spokesperson Lisa Fraser wrote in an email statement.

Winnipeg drivers won't often face situations like last week, Fraser said. Several conditions need to occur at the same time for snow to build up for more than a short period of time, including wet snow, extremely high winds and below-zero temperatures.

Winnipeg winters tend to be dry and any snow buildup usually melts during the day, she said.

"Situations when snow partially obscures traffic signal lights for more than a very short period of time rarely [occur], and is not expected to be an ongoing issue in Winnipeg this winter," she said.

In February 2016, a school bus crash in Windsor, Ont. was blamed on snow covering a traffic light. John Wolf, senior manager of traffic operations, parking, and transportation planning for the City of Windsor, said the specific conditions that lead to snow buildup on traffic lights have only occurred about three times since the city started installing LED bulbs in traffic signalsin 1993.

"So it's not a prevalent problem, but we're aware of it," Wolf said.

Federal legislation now requires all bulbs installed in traffic signals to be LED, he said. The City of Windsor is exploring options prevent snow build up, including guards, heating elements, or sprays, he said.

Winnipeg uses more than 16,700 bulbs in traffic signals across the city and since it started installing them in the 1990s, "snow partially obscuring the lights for a prolonged period of time has never been a widespread issue," Fraser said.

The city doesn't have an annual cost for clearing snow from traffic signals because it is a rare occurrence, but last week's operation cost about $3,500 in overtime.