Seasonal
Towing in Barrie in Winter: Highway 400 Snow Squalls and What to Do
If a snow squall traps you on Highway 400 near Barrie, Ontario, get off the road if you can. If you can't, pull fully onto the shoulder, put your flashers on and stay in the car. Call 911 if anyone is hurt or you're stuck in a live lane. South of Highway 9, the 400 is a tow zone, so call 511 there. Anywhere else, you pick who tows you and where.
Why does Highway 400 near Barrie go white so fast?
Environment Canada explains it this way. Cold air moves across big open water, like the Great Lakes. That builds bands of cloud and snow that barely move. One band can sit over the same few kilometers of highway for a long time.
Barrie gets these squalls most often from November to January. The open water of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay is still warmer than the air. The 400 near Barrie runs along the edge of that snowbelt. So you can leave clear skies to the south and drive into a wall of white near Innisfil.
The federal weather service calls them localized, intense bands of snow. At its higher alert levels, it warns of route closures, collisions and stranded vehicles and passengers. That is exactly what happened on February 27, 2014. A squall with near-zero visibility hit the 400 in Innisfil. 96 vehicles crashed near Innisfil Beach Road. The road closed for a day.
Before you leave on a winter trip, check two things:
- Weather alerts from Environment Canada for the Barrie area. A snow squall alert means bands of heavy snow are expected.
- Ontario 511 for road conditions, closures and Track My Plow. You can also dial 511 hands-free.
What do you do when a squall hits you on the 400?
Ontario's driver handbook says blowing snow can block your view of the road completely. Here's what it tells you to do, in plain words.
- Switch to low beams. High beams bounce off the snow and blind you.
- Leave the road if visibility is near zero. Take the next ramp. A plaza or gas station lot on Bayfield Street or Essa Road beats any shoulder.
- Never stop in a driving lane. The handbook warns you could start a chain-reaction crash.
- If you're stranded, stay with the car. Open a window a little for air. Run the engine only now and then. Keep your flashers on.
Through the middle of Barrie, the 400 sits in a trench below the streets. If you stall down there, don't climb the bank to the road above. Stay buckled in. When you call, give your direction and the last overpass you went under, such as Dunlop Street or Essa Road.
If you're in a live lane and can't move, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service.
Who can tow you on the 400 south of Barrie?
Ontario runs a Tow Zone Program on busy highways around Toronto. Zone 3A covers Highway 400 from the 401 up to Highway 9. Inside that zone, only the tow company the province has authorized can move your car. Call 511 for a tow there, unless you're in danger. Then it's 911.
Once your car is out of the zone, the choice is yours again. That means you pick the tow company and where the car goes. Police can still direct a tow in some cases.
North of the zone, through Barrie and up to the 400 and 11 split, you call who you want. Ontario's rules on tow consent apply everywhere:
- A tow needs your consent, unless police or an official started it.
- Don't sign a blank form.
- If a tow company skips your consent, it can't charge you for the tow.
Slid into a snowbank? Winch-out or tow?
Lots of winter calls in Barrie aren't breakdowns. The car runs fine. It just slid off a ramp onto the soft edge, or it's stuck in a plowed-in parking spot at the Allandale Waterfront GO lot.
If the car sits near the road and nothing is broken, a winch-out is usually the answer. The driver hooks a cable to your car and pulls it back onto solid ground. Then you drive away.
You need a tow instead if any of these are true:
- You hit something and a wheel points the wrong way.
- Fluid is leaking onto the snow under the car.
- A warning light came on and stayed on after the slide.
- The car is far down a slope, not near the road.
Not sure? Describe what you see when you call. If the job changes once the driver sees it, you get a new price by text first, and you decide.
Can your car stay on a Barrie street during a storm?
Not overnight in winter. Barrie's overnight parking by-law runs every year from December 1 to March 31. City streets are off limits from 12:01 to 7 a.m. Downtown business streets are off limits from 3 to 6 a.m.
Some details people miss:
- Holidays. You can park overnight on December 25, December 26 and January 1. That exception is gone if the city declares a Winter Maintenance Event by 4 p.m. the day before.
- Before December or after March. An early or late storm can still trigger a Winter Maintenance Event. The city posts alerts on its website, social media, mobile app, e-bulletin and the news.
- Waterfront and hybrid lots. No parking from 12:01 to 5 a.m., December 1 to March 31. The city says there are no exceptions.
Leave a car out anyway and the city can have it towed. Barrie says by-law staff tow cars in continuous violation or causing an immediate safety concern. That tow is not something Sentinel handles. To ask about a car on a city street, call Barrie Enforcement Services at 705-739-4241.
When will the plow reach your street?
Barrie sends plows to priority and secondary roads at about 5 cm of snow. Those roads are kept as bare as the crews can get them. Residential streets wait for about 8 cm and are usually plowed overnight. They stay snow-packed, treated with sand mixed with a little salt, so grip on a side street lags behind the main roads.
The ridge of snow the plow leaves across your driveway is yours to clear. The city does not do it. If you try to gun it over that ridge and get hung up, that's a winch-out, not a tow. Barrie's online Plow Tracker shows when your street was last serviced.
Why won't your car start on a January morning in Barrie?
Cold drains batteries. Environment Canada's normals for the Barrie station on Kempenfelt Bay show an average January low of minus 12.4 C. It drops below minus 20 C on about 12 nights a year. There are also about 5 days a year of freezing rain or drizzle.
If the engine clicks or cranks slowly after a frozen night in Painswick or Holly, a jump start often gets you going. If it dies again right after, the battery or charging system may be done. Then a tow to a shop makes more sense.
What should be in your car for a Barrie winter?
Ontario's winter driving page lists a kit for your vehicle:
- A charged phone
- Water and food that won't spoil
- A flashlight
- A blanket and warm clothes
- Jumper cables
- A shovel
- Traction mats or sand
- Candles and a lighter or matches
The province also says winter tires can shorten braking distances by as much as 25 percent. Put on four, and don't mix tire types.
What does the law say when you pass a tow truck or plow?
Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, section 159, covers a tow truck stopped with amber lights flashing. You must slow down and pass with caution. On a road with two or more lanes your way, you must also move over a lane when it's safe. A first offense carries a fine of 400 to 2,000 dollars.
Plows show flashing blue lights you can see from 150 meters. Some have a wing that reaches up to 3 meters to the right. The handbook says never pass between two plows working side by side. There isn't room.
This matters to you too. Once your driver arrives on the 400 shoulder, the move-over law is what keeps traffic away from both of you.
How does Sentinel work in Barrie?
Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. We lock your price by text before dispatch. Then we stay with you by text until your truck arrives. You get your driver's name, photo and truck, and you can track your truck from your seat. The Stay-With-You Promise lists everything you get. For local coverage, see towing in Barrie.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
Barrie Winter Towing Questions
My car is stuck in a squall on the 400 near Innisfil. Who do I call?
If anyone is hurt or you're in a live lane, call 911. If you're safe on the shoulder inside the tow zone, which runs from the 401 up to Highway 9, call 511. Outside the zone, you can choose your own tow company.
Should I get out and walk for help in a whiteout?
No. Ontario's driver handbook says to stay with your vehicle until help arrives. Crack a window, run the engine only now and then, and keep your flashers on.
The plow buried my car in my driveway. Do I need a tow?
Usually not. If the car runs and isn't damaged, a winch-out or some shoveling will free it. Barrie leaves driveway snow ridges for residents to clear.
Can I park on my street overnight in Barrie on Christmas?
Yes, on December 25, December 26 and January 1, from 12:01 to 7 a.m. The exception ends if the city declares a Winter Maintenance Event by 4 p.m. the day before. Waterfront and hybrid lots get no exceptions.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: Barrie overnight parking by-law, Barrie winter maintenance, Ontario Tow Zone Program, Ontario tow rights, MTO driver's handbook, Ontario winter driving, Highway Traffic Act, Environment Canada winter alerts, weather impact guides, Barrie climate normals, Ontario 511.
