Should I move parked cars off my Ottawa driveway during deep snow?

Yes, you should move parked cars off your Ottawa driveway during heavy snowfall whenever possible. This allows for proper snow removal and prevents damage to both your vehicles and driveway surface.

Snow Removal Access and Safety

Moving cars during snowstorms gives you full access to clear the entire driveway surface properly. When cars remain parked during heavy snow, you're forced to shovel or plow around them, leaving snow buildup that becomes compacted ice under the vehicle's weight. This creates uneven surfaces and potential slip hazards when the car is eventually moved. More importantly, you can't properly clear the areas where tires sit, leading to rutted ice patches that are difficult to remove later and can damage asphalt or interlock surfaces when cars drive over them repeatedly.

Protecting Your Driveway Surface

Ottawa's extreme freeze-thaw cycles make proper snow clearing critical for driveway longevity. Snow left under parked cars melts and refreezes repeatedly, creating ice buildup that expands into cracks and joints. On asphalt driveways, this accelerates crack formation and can pop sealed surfaces. For interlock driveways, freeze-thaw cycling in trapped snow displaces polymeric sand from joints and can shift pavers. The weight of vehicles sitting on snow-covered surfaces also compacts the snow into ice, making it nearly impossible to remove without metal scrapers that can gouge sealcoated asphalt or chip concrete.

Timing and Practical Considerations

Move vehicles before snowfall reaches 5-10 centimeters if possible. This prevents cars from getting stuck and allows you to maintain your regular snow removal routine. If you have a heated driveway system, keeping cars off during storms allows the system to work efficiently across the entire surface. For households with multiple vehicles, consider parking one car on the street temporarily during major storms (following City of Ottawa parking restrictions) to give yourself maneuvering room.

When You Can't Move Cars

If moving vehicles isn't possible due to street parking restrictions or other constraints, clear as much snow as possible around the parked cars and immediately remove snow once vehicles are moved. Use a plastic shovel near vehicles to avoid scratching paint, and never use metal scrapers on your driveway surface while trying to clear ice from around tires. Apply ice melter sparingly around tire areas, but avoid calcium chloride on new concrete driveways during their first winter.

Professional Snow Removal Considerations

If you hire a snow removal service, discuss vehicle placement policies upfront. Most professional services require clear access to the entire driveway and may charge extra for return visits when cars are moved later. Some services offer to return within 24 hours to clear areas that were blocked by vehicles at no additional charge, while others bill for each visit separately.