Dead Battery or Flat Inside Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway? What to Do and What to Say

If your battery dies or a tire goes flat inside Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway, start your call with two words: "inside the Perimeter." Then give a street address or the two closest cross streets. Inside the ring, you're on city streets, close to shops and close to help. A jump, a spare tire or a lockout can often fix it where you sit. In winter, also say if you're parked on a signed winter route.

Why does "inside or outside the Perimeter" matter?

The Perimeter is a ring of about 90 km around Winnipeg. PTH 100 is the south half and PTH 101 is the north half. About three-quarters of that ring sits outside the city limits, in open country.

So "I'm near Pembina" can mean two very different spots. It might be a side street in Fort Garry, a short trip for any driver. Or it might be the Perimeter interchange at the edge of town, on a divided highway. The first is a city job. The second needs a different plan.

Saying "inside" right away tells us you're on the city grid. That narrows the search for the nearest partner and gets the right questions asked first.

How do you describe your spot on a city street?

City breakdowns are easy to find if you give the right details. Before you call, look around for these:

• An address. A house number or a store sign beats everything else.
• Two cross streets. For example, "Portage and Main" or "Pembina Highway at Bishop Grandin."
• Your side of the street. Say which way you were driving, or which business you're facing.
• The lot or parkade. Name the mall or building, the level and the row. Polo Park and downtown parkades are big places.
• Your neighborhood. Osborne Village, Transcona, River Heights or St. Boniface helps a driver picture the route.

Your phone's map pin helps too. Share it when we text you. Once your partner is on the way, you can track your truck on a map.

What if your battery dies in a parking lot or parkade?

This is the classic Winnipeg morning. You come out to the car after work, and it just clicks. Inside the city, most dead batteries happen in driveways, lots and parkades, not on the open road.

A jump start is usually the first thing to try. Help your driver reach you:

• Tell us if you're nose-in or backed in. The truck has to get near the battery.
• Say if you're in a parkade, and which level. Some have low ceilings.
• Say if the car is boxed in by other cars or a snowbank.
• Turn off the heater, lights and radio before the jump.

If the car starts, let it run and drive it a while before you shut it off. If it won't start after a jump, the problem may be more than the battery. Then a tow to your shop is the next step.

What should you do with a flat on a city street?

First, get the car as close to the curb as you safely can. Hazards on. If the flat is on the traffic side, stay out of the lane and wait on the sidewalk or in the car.

A flat tire change means your driver puts on your spare. So check two things before you call:

• Do you have a spare? Some cars come with a repair kit instead. Look under the trunk floor.
• Is the spare full of air? Spares get forgotten. A flat spare can't help you.
• Do you have a wheel lock key? If your wheels use locking nuts, the key is often in the glove box or trunk.

Cold makes this worse. Transport Canada says tires lose about 7 kPa, or 1 psi, for every 5 degrees Celsius the air drops. A spare that sat all fall can be low by the first deep freeze. If there's no usable spare, the car needs a tow to a tire shop instead.

Locked out with the engine running?

It happens most on cold mornings. You warm up the car, step out, and the doors lock. A car lockout service gets your door open. It doesn't cut new keys.

Winnipeg Police say never leave keys in an unattended car. Manitoba's Highway Traffic Act also says that a driver who leaves a car alone on a road should stop the engine, lock the ignition and take the key. Stay near the car while you wait, if you can do it safely and stay warm. If a child or a pet is locked inside, call 911 first.

How can a winter parking ban turn a stall into a tow?

This is the part that only applies inside the city. A car that dies on the wrong street on the wrong night may get moved before you can fix it. The City of Winnipeg has five kinds of winter parking bans:

Ban	What it means for a stalled car
Winter route ban	Any time from November 1 to the end of April, with seven days' notice. No parking on streets signed WINTER ROUTE or SNOW ROUTE from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Cars risk a ticket and a tow.
Extended winter route ban	Declared after big snowfalls. The same ban starts at midnight instead of 2 a.m.
Residential ban	Every residential street has a snow zone letter. Zones are cleared in 12-hour shifts, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Snow emergency	The Mayor can declare one after an unexpected heavy snowfall. No parking at all on winter routes, and cars are towed.
Temporary no parking	Signs go up on single streets that need extra snow work. Cars are ticketed and towed to the towing company's compound.

So if your car quits on a winter route at 1 a.m. during a ban, tell us right away. The goal is to get it started or moved before the plows come through. To learn your snow zone, use the city's Know Your Zone app, its address lookup, or call 311.

What if the city already moved your car?

During a residential ban, the city says cars may be moved to a nearby street that is already cleared or isn't on the schedule. Call 311 to find out where it went. Sentinel doesn't do impounds or city tows. But if you find the car and it won't start, we can send help from there.

Which streets get cleared first?

This matters when you're stuck in fresh snow. The city plows in priority order. Priority 1 streets are major routes like Portage Avenue and Main Street. Priority 2 streets are bus routes and the collector streets that feed traffic out of neighborhoods. Residential streets come last.

If you stall on a side street after a big snow, the road may be rutted and narrow for a while. Tell us about deep ruts or a snow ridge in front of the car. Your driver can plan for it.

Do drivers have to slow down for your truck on city streets?

Yes. Manitoba's move-over law covers tow trucks and vehicles doing battery, tire and lockout service. Drivers coming up behind must slow to 40 km/h where the posted limit is over 40 and up to 79. Where the limit is 80 km/h or more, they must slow to 60 km/h. If there are two or more lanes their way, they move over a lane when it's safe.

That rule protects your driver, not you standing beside the car. Stay on the sidewalk or the far side of the car, away from moving traffic.

When is a tow the right call instead?

A roadside fix won't always do it. Ask for car towing if:

• The car still won't start after a jump.
• There's no spare, or two tires are flat.
• You hear grinding, smell burning or see smoke or leaks.
• A warning light says to stop driving.

Inside the Perimeter, your shop is often only a few neighborhoods away. Have its name and address ready when you call.

How does Sentinel handle a call inside the city?

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. We text you a price before dispatch, and that price is the most you pay for the job. Then we stay with you by text until your driver arrives. That's our Stay-With-You Promise. For roads, weather and rules across the city, see the Winnipeg towing page.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

Inside the Perimeter Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: City of Winnipeg: winter parking bans, City of Winnipeg: snow clearing questions, City of Winnipeg: residential parking ban, Manitoba Highway Traffic Act, Winnipeg Police: warming your car, Transport Canada: inflating your tires, Perimeter Highway route.