A seasonal parking ban will come into force at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday as the city prepares to clear the snow and ice from major routes.

"Last week's extreme cold weather resulted in the formation of substantial snowpack on major roadways," says Andrew Grant, general supervisor of infrastructure field operations.

"That material as soon as it hits the roadway surface it just freezes and turns to sheer ice virtually making it extremely difficult for our crews and equipment to break that bond between the roadway surface and the ice," Grant said.

He said the current milder temperatures will help to release that bond.

"We just want to get out there and get our collector roads back down to bare pavement, take advantage of this warm weather and use it to dry the roads instead of just melting all the accumulated ice that's on them."

The seasonal parking ban will take effect at midnight and any vehicles parked on designated seasonal parking ban routes will be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense. The city says the routes are clearly marked.

No residential clearing

About 200 graders and up to 15 sanding trucks will take to the streets and continue to operate 24 hours a day until the arterial and collector roads are clear, Grant said.

He hopes the seasonal parking ban can be lifted by the end of the week.

The city will not move on to clearing streets in residential neighbourhoods once the major roads have been cleared.

"We're going to continue to measure the residentials," Grant said. "We're seeing some nice driving surfaces out there with minimal accumulations."

Edmontonians with concerns about the streets in their neighbourhood should contact 311 and any trouble spots will be dealt with, he added.

This seasonal parking ban is different from the residential parking ban pilot in Gold Bar and Silver Berry.

Residents in those communities are not required to move their vehicles unless they live on a seasonal parking ban route.