Mayor John Tory says that the city is “ready to battle the effects of winter” and will have more than 1,500 personnel available to respond to messy weather over the coming months.

Tory made the comment to reporters during a news conference held to outline the city’s winter preparedness plan on Thursday morning.

He said that $90 million has been set aside to ensure that roads and sidewalks are kept clear of snow this winter.

That money will help ensure that up to 1,500 personnel are on standby 24/7 to respond to winter storm, Tory said.

He said that the workers will have access to 600 snow plows, 300 sidewalk plows, 200 salt trucks, 200 dump trucks and another 200 smaller trucks.

“From all the reports I have received, it is obvious that our crews are ready to battle the effects of winter,” he said. “Our staff have a plan to clear the roads, the sidewalks and the cycling routes as well as thousands of other routes and paths that people use.”

Tory said that the city’s winter operations department will have access to a meteorologist on a 24/7 basis this year. He said that there has also been two additional remote weather information systems installed across the city, for a total of nine. Those systems include temperature sensors buried underneath the pavement so staff can monitor when the roads begin to freeze.

“This is some of the most important work that people call upon the city to do,” Tory said. “It is important because it is necessary that people can continue to move safely and effectively on our roads and sidewalks, so that business can carry on notwithstanding sleet, rain or snow or anything else that Mother Nature might present to us.”

The city’s policy is to begin clearing expressways after 2 cm of snowfall and main roads after 5 cm of snowfall. Local roads are only plowed after 8 cm of snowfall.

The city has also identified a priority network of bike lanes that will receive enhanced winter maintenance, including regular plowing and salting.