Norwalk: Snow and Parked Cars on Streets Don’t Mix

With December right around the corner talk of snow is on the minds of DPW officials. Snow? We still get that? Yes, and in sufficient amounts to require street plowing, and the bane of snow free streets are, cars parked on the street, and snow pushed out from driveways onto the street. What I’d really like to know is how this will impact Osborne Ave. The street basically has an uneven rut running along its west side, offering may opportunities for a plow to catch a corner and then break. Maybe if the first taxing district could spend some money restoring the road instead of paying sacks of cash in the likely endeavor of putting some lawyer’s kids through college over Klondike park, this could be avoided.

Norwalk has 255 miles of roads and 25 snow-plow routes that are plowed and salted, beginning with main arteries, steep hills and difficult intersections, followed by side streets, dead-end streets and cul-de-sacs.

Clearing streets can run more than $5,000, and take 16 to 24 hours from the end of a snowstorm.

To help out snow-plow crews, the city is asking motorists to remove parked vehicles from streets during every snowfall, clear snow and ice from sidewalks, not plow snow into street after plows have passed, and to remove basketball hoops, soccer goals and other obstacles from the sides of streets.

City ordinance requires property owners to keep all sidewalks along their properties free of snow and ice.

Likewise, city regulations prohibit private plowing contractors from pushing snow from driveways or parking lots onto city streets.

When the snow does fly, Moccia will decide whether to declare a snow emergency, based upon the recommendation of Harold F. Alvord, the city’s director of public works.

During a snow emergency, snow emergency routes, all marked, become off routes for parking. Vehicles left on such routes during a snow emergency will be towed and/or ticketed at the owner’s expense.

Alvord said the city will post snow emergency notices, when they occur, scrolling across the top of the city’s Web site at www.norwalkct.org. Motorists, however, can help plow drivers by getting their vehicles off city streets during any snowfall — whether a snow emergency is declared or not.

“Legally, they have to (remove them) in a snow emergency,” Alvord said. “But any snowstorm, if they get their cars off the road, that will help tremendously.”

The city will repair or replace mailboxes, posts or fences struck by plow blades, but not those that fall from the force of plowed snow. A paint mark or tire track is considered evidence of a strike.

Residents with concerns or complaints may call the city’s Customer Service Center at (203) 854-3200, or e-mail customerservice@norwalkct.org. Information about snow removal may be found at www.norwalkct.org.

source: The Hour, City officials turn attention to upcoming snow season, By ROBERT KOCH, November 28, 2007