Winnipeg man develops free 'know your zone' app

A Winnipeg man has developed a free app that allows users to see whether their streets need to be vehicle-free for snow plowing — a task the city was supposed to get to in 2016.

Before James Perih created his app, the only way to get that information was through the City of Winnipeg's website. There, the city was divided into zones and residents could look theirs up and see if they needed to move their vehicle.

"It was very utilitarian. It didn't look very good and it just took too many clicks to find the information I needed," Perih said.

He gave the city top marks for the data available online, but said they got a 'D' for presentation, simplicity and elegance.

So, he set out to make a way to get the information faster, and more easily. He wanted it to be accessible in the palm of his hand, and Perih's skills as an app developer didn't hurt his goal.

"I said, 'Well, I can do this better and make it look better and take it with me where ever I go," he said.

It took him one weekend to design and develop a 'know your zone' app, which is now available on Google Play and the iOS App Store free of charge.

He had been thinking about developing the app for some time, he said. At one point, he had approached Winnipeg City Councilor Jeff Browaty who said he was willing to meet with him and pass the word on to the administration, but nothing ever materialized.

App ready for plows

Perih's app comes just in time for a snow route parking ban that starts at midnight on Friday in Winnipeg.

The effort will cost the city a minimum of $4 million dollars, said Ken Allen of the city's public works department.

"We're looking at 400 pieces of equipment, probably [more than] that," he said.

"It's not so much the accumulation of snow but the extended plowing and the equipment required that brings up the costs quite a bit."

Residential streets will start to get plowed on the weekend, which means residential parking bans come into effect on Saturday evening.