Snow plowing in the city!!!

goober · #1 01-08-2011, 08:33 PM

So after the big dump yesterday today turned in to quite the nightmare!!! Planned on cleaning the driveway and then head to the local pool with the fam for a few hours. Well did not quite work out that way!!! After clearing my driveway I noticed the city coming by to do the roads, fantastic I thought!!! Well think again, they cleared the road and the vanished for good! Nobody coming behind with any other equipment to clear out all the entrances to the driveways they just buried!!! So after breakfast Back outside I went to help out my 75 year old neighbor as I noticed he was stuck trying to get out of his driveway. Got him out and told him I would take care of cleaning it out for him while he was gone. While cleaning his out another neighbor came over and asked for help as he was stuck trying to get in to his driveway!! When all was said and done I wound up tackling 7 driveways and the entrance to the crescent at the end of the block!! I would just like to thank the city for ruining my day with the family!! Nice to see that my tax dollars are going to good use!! I sure hope the guy across the street does not come home tonight as his is by far the worst!! Easily a 4 - 4.5 bank in front of his driveway!!

The Great Outdoors · #2 01-08-2011, 08:36 PM

I hear ya. They pushed a bank almost 5 feet high around a corner on my block. My neighbour (68 years young) stood there crying as she was so frustrated. Took me and another guy almost 5 hours to clean it up for her. Sure wish I had a Bob Cat.

harrydude · #3 01-08-2011, 08:41 PM

well you guys are snow angles

and not many left

good work

theycallmeNoah · #4 01-08-2011, 11:11 PM

I sure wish I had neighbors like you guys!! Our neighbor watched us struggle to get into our driveway as he put his snow blower away.

To quote Corb Lund "mighty neighborly, mighty neighborly"

TreeGuy · #5 01-08-2011, 11:24 PM

Good on ya guys for being great neighbours.

Snow removal is a thankless gig where all too often, no matter what you do, you're still considered a jerk.

Residents bitch when they're streets are impassable, bitch when they're taxes rise to pay to clear the roadway and then bitch again when they get what they wish for and then their driveways are plowed in.

The fact of the matter is that the snow has to go somewhere.

Can it be done better? Yep.

Will it cost more? Yep.

Are some operators better than others? Yep.

The vast majority of subdivisions and higher density housing complexes have been designed with little regard to the practicalities of dealing with a heavy snowfall.

Combined with the unpredictable nature of the job, public and political pressures, the life of an operator is generally a damn thankless one.

With that being said, I feel your pain about getting plowed in. There are no easy solutions. It's Canada, it's winter, it's reality....

Sooner · #6 01-09-2011, 12:12 AM

Here in Edmonton I was driving at 9 am and just dropped off the bro inlaw and only the sanding traucks with plows had hit the major roads and hills, anything else was a mess, didnt see 1 grader but I know they will be out during the night. Banked some karma points, helped push/pull out 5 cars today. Little cars with little summer tires must suck today. No clearence and no traction. I love my 4x4 button.

doetracks · #7 01-09-2011, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeGuy

Snow removal is a thankless gig where all too often, no matter what you do, you're still considered a jerk.

Yeah, I can see that.

Here in FSJ they've cleared the residential streets a couple times, now. Just went by the driveways. I don't expect them to clear driveways too. They do it a bit differently here, though - windrow in the middle of the street then blow it onto lawns (or haul it if it's a major roadway).

But you know what? So what, at least the STREET is nice and clean! Then again, I have 4WD. A little car might have trouble coming out of the driveway.

I feel for any of you snow pushers out there, definitely a thankless job.

sewerrat · #8 01-09-2011, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sooner

Here in Edmonton I was driving at 9 am and just dropped off the bro inlaw and only the sanding traucks with plows had hit the major roads and hills, anything else was a mess, didnt see 1 grader but I know they will be out during the night. Banked some karma points, helped push/pull out 5 cars today. Little cars with little summer tires must suck today. No clearence and no traction. I love my 4x4 button.

Have to agree 100% If the streets are being plowed people complain cause it is a waste of time, then if the streets arn't plowed people still complain.
Damn if you do and damn if you don't

I work for a municipality and we get this all the time

oldman · #9 01-09-2011, 09:51 AM

Have to agree with sewerat thankless job what ever you do. All I get is headshakes and shaking fists.

Roughneck12 · #10 01-09-2011, 09:59 AM

Its not their job to clear your driveway. Its unfortunate that the snow has to go somewhere and inevitably its going to end up back at the end of your nice clean driveway. I'd hate to see the complaining and chaos here in AB if you goy real snow, like back East. Dumps of a meter or more.

This is the most snow that I have seen in this part of the world since I moved here in 2000. Woo hoo.

Pixel Shooter · #11 01-09-2011, 10:28 AM

hear your pain goober, spent 5 hours helping people out yesterday, live in a acreage sub division, the only saving grace was not manual labour LOL, got to luv tractor with bucket. amazing how many people out here have a craftsman lawn mower with a blad on the front, they cant get it hardly out the garage door before being stuck. Then towed out 3 people stuck in their driveways and cleared 4 other driveways. Oh well got to atleast get out an play

Whiskey Wish · #12 01-09-2011, 11:47 AM

Snow clearing! What an absolutely necessary, absolutely thankless job. Perhaps because I live in the Boonies I look at the Snow Plow drivers as being the most unappreciated heroes on our highways. Those poor guys get called out day, night, weekend, stat holidays in the worst possible driving conditions then work extreme hours only to get cranked at for not being fast enough, too fast, no sand, too much sand, no salt, too much salt. Everyone on the road today is a MUCH better snow plow operator than the people currently driving the trucks, just ask them, they will tell you!! Then the sun comes out in April and everyone forgets they even exist.
Here's my THANKS and TIP O' the HAT to all the Snow Plow operators out there!

Keep Your Powder Dry,
Dave.
Disclaimer: None of my family or friends are snow plow operators.

DOGFISH · #13 01-09-2011, 11:55 AM

Out here in Fort Saskatchewan we must be lucky, because our streets were cleared @ 17:00 hrs with no banks left on drive way. Good operators in those John Deere graders. Good work guys, like it was said earlier " Thankless Job" but we notice.

goober · #14 01-09-2011, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeGuy

Good on ya guys for being great neighbours.

Snow removal is a thankless gig where all too often, no matter what you do, you're still considered a jerk.

Residents bitch when they're streets are impassable, bitch when they're taxes rise to pay to clear the roadway and then bitch again when they get what they wish for and then their driveways are plowed in.

The fact of the matter is that the snow has to go somewhere.

Can it be done better? Yep.

Will it cost more? Yep.

Are some operators better than others? Yep.

The vast majority of subdivisions and higher density housing complexes have been designed with little regard to the practicalities of dealing with a heavy snowfall.

Combined with the unpredictable nature of the job, public and political pressures, the life of an operator is generally a damn thankless one.

With that being said, I feel your pain about getting plowed in. There are no easy solutions. It's Canada, it's winter, it's reality....

Tree I agree with you 100%! Do not get me wrong here my beef is not at all with the operators!! They do a fantastic job and our roads would really suck with out them!!! My beef is with the city!! The operators can only do what they are told to do. Went to take my dogs to the rink yesterday morning as I take them for a skate every weekend morning and not only were the paths not cleared the rink had not been cleared either. Tried to go again this morning and still nothing cleared out at all anywhere!! Went up to Dad's this morning on our way to the pool and none of his paths are cleared either. We get tickets for not clearing our walks and the city can just leave theirs? The way my driveway is set up there is very little after the sidewalk so when they plowed the pile was pretty much right on the sidewalk making it my responsibility! So I did it. Where are all the city workers?? Not clearing parking lots anywhere that I have seen. Went to the leisure center this morning with the fam for a swim and the parking lot was a disgrace!! No bobcats or anything in sight. After the swim went over to the rink to see what was going on and what do I find, 13 guy's in city gear leaning on the glass watching hockey drinking coffee. The sidewalk at my Grandmothers home was not done but they did plow the road and leave the entrance buried by a 4 foot bank!! A nice guy from down the road came to clear the walks for them with his quad and wound up being fined for operating his quad in the city like that!!! The city is to blame for all of this!! Do not tell me they are short of workers as I know there is more than enough because I know people that work there.

doetracks · #15 01-09-2011, 01:30 PM

Isn't clearing of outdoor rinks usually up to the respective community association??

herc · #16 01-09-2011, 01:31 PM

That just plain old sucks that they would just plow people in like that. Honestly why do we even have residential street cleaning?

I grew up in Edmonton and never remember a sidestreet being cleaned. You just lived with it and i remember some bad winters. You live in a northern climate so deal with it. Back in the day i even took my drivers training in the winter and did my driver's license test in a snowstorm.

Treeguy said it earleir: Can it get better sure, but it'll cost more. Look at St. Albert, they clean the streets and haul it away that same day most of the time but you pay double the property taxes.... not worth it IMO. Take the money used for residential cleaning and use it for the main drags. Last time i checked you don't see massive fatal crashes on unplowed sidestreets

I have never heard so much debate on this issue until the last few years. Which leaves me baffled due to the fact that the last few winters have been quite mild.

Just my 2 cents....

goober · #17 01-09-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doetracks

Isn't clearing of outdoor rinks usually up to the respective community association??

Yes that is what normally happens. The city took over our rinks quite some time ago when they decided the heated shacks were an eye sore to the public!! Now very few of the rinks have heated shacks as they have all been torn dow with the exception of 4 I think.

Quote:

Originally Posted by herc

Treeguy said it earleir: Can it get better sure, but it'll cost more. Look at St. Albert, they clean the streets and haul it away that same day most of the time but you pay double the property taxes.... not worth it IMO. Take the money used for residential cleaning and use it for the main drags. Last time i checked you don't see massive fatal crashes on unplowed sidestreets

Just my 2 cents....

I am in St. Albert and that is why I am so upset about it!! Where are my tax dollars going???

sewerrat · #18 01-09-2011, 04:22 PM

Sorry Goober, but to me a rink and pathways would be less of a priority, cleaning the main streets is first , bus routes, and emergency vehicle routes are also a priority specialy leading to the hospitals.

Also a municipality has a budget for snow removal, hiering trucks from outside the city/town to haul snow from city streets cost a lot of money @ 100.00 /hr it adds up quick and before you know it the snow removal budget is gone, unless you are willing to pay more taxes.