The City of Edmonton is asking people not to call 311 about the condition of their back alleys.

Many are all but impassable after Sunday's temperature change froze the deep ruts formed by last week's thaw. City officials are asking people not to call unless they are having problems getting in an our of their homes.

“We're finding that repeated calls are literally bogging the system down," said Bob Dunford, the city's director of roadway maintenance

The city began blading alleys last night and though the city has no schedule when each neighbourhood will be done, district supervisors are out looking for problem areas.

City sidewalks are faring no better. Since last November the city's recorded 7,100 complaints about icy sidewalks, 1,900 last week.

The city normally mails out notices to homeowners but now they are hanging a notice on front doors, giving people 48 hours to clear their walks or face a $100 fine.

“Just because of the influx of complaints that we're receiving, we do have to change our tactics slightly and make sure that we are being more responsive to citizen complaints," said Ryan Pleckaitis, the city's director of complaints and investigations.

Pleckaitis says the city will sometimes clear a walk if it is deemed a public safety hazard. If that is the case, the homeowner is billed for the cost of the crew.