Message from Highway Commissioner, Alicia Dodd.
We are expecting up to 7 inches of snow from noon today Jan 1st through tomorrow. There are a few things we would like you to know and consider during this and every snow storm:
Please give plow trucks plenty of space. Double what you think would be appropriate. We have blind spots behind us, obstacles to avoid with our plow in front of us, and blowing snow on our windshield. The demands on our attention and focus are ever present, and it could be easy to not see a small car sneak up behind us while we are making sure our path ahead is free of people and obstacles. Another important reason to give us space is that our trucks do slide in slick areas. The majority of our off-road plow damage results from hitting slick areas where braking is just a vote, but physics determines the outcome.
Don’t park in the street. Again.. the sliding.. We really really don’t want to damage property. Parking in the street means that we cannot properly do snow removal and in some situations on narrow roads, it can be impossible without the risk of potential damage to your vehicle. Please, for the sake of our drivers, your vehicle, and everyone who uses that street, avoid parking on the roadway when snow removal operations are expected.
Wear High Vis clothing when walking at night. Much of our plowing is done in the dark—either after evening rush hour or in the early morning hours. Invariably, after every round, we comment on encountering pedestrians dressed in black, walking in the dark, and we thank our lucky stars that we saw them in time. If you must walk at night when it’s snowy, please wear high Vis clothing and remain clear of the road when the plow trucks are in your vicinity.
Keep kids out of roadside snow piles. Hurting a child while pushing back snow is every snow plow driver’s worst nightmare. Playing in snow piles after the roads are clear can be risky too—as snow accumulates, we may need to move piles to create space for additional snow and improve visibility.
We know you hate the snow at the end of your driveway. We deal with it too, returning home after a plowing all night, welcomed home to heavy wet snow at the end of our drive. We also know how discouraging it can be to have snow fill the end of the drive after the driveway is cleared. Here’s what is happening: after an accumulation of snow develops on the roadside, the plow carries snow along as it clears the road. When the plow passes a cleared driveway, the snow being pushed by the plow empties into the cleared space. To minimize this, try clearing a section about a car length long along the edge of the road to the left of your driveway, creating an open space that allows the plow to empty some of its load prior to your driveway.
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