From DPW: On-Street Parking Hindering Snow Removal
In a case of “which came first, the chicken or the egg” comes a press release sent by the City of Richmond:
December 22 – City residents are being asked to find alternate parking when possible to facilitate snow removal in neighborhoods and subdivisions. Snow plows are unable to adequately remove the snow when there is on-street parking. For more information on city services and schedules, please visit us online at www.RichmondGov.com
Update 3:55 p.m. – Some clarification arrived in my inbox (Richard talking now) from David Hathcock on behalf of Dexter White the Director of Public Works:
I want to update you on the current status of the on-going snow and ice removal. Currently all major bridges and thoroughfares are clear or passable. However the issue is no longer snow; instead it is ice, which our snowplows are not designed to remove. As such, DPW personnel and contractors are using motorgraders and front end loaders to break up and remove the ice. We are continuing to spread salt and sand on all secondary roads to provide greater traction for vehicle traffic within neighborhoods.
Our schedule is to remove ice from neighborhoods based on solid waste collection days. Should we completed ice removal in advance of the trash pick-up, we will move into the next area.
I apologize for any inconvenience. We are putting forth every effort making the roads safe for all city residents.
Sincerely,
Dexter C. White
Director, Department of Public Works
Richmond really needs to set up a parking schedule after snow storms, just like they do when the street sweeper comes around. Put up the little “No Parking This Side of Steet” signs, plow one side of the street on one day, the other side the next. It’s not that difficult.
Agreed. Parking is a challenge enough with the snow. Just saying ‘Don’t park on the street’ doesn’t solve their problem. We park on the street out of necessity.
Since they don’t ever plow Hillcrest between 42nd & Riverside, I’m not worried about it. FYI, avoid Hillcrest
Dan, I guess these snow falls are so few and far between that the policy would be misplaced or forgotten the next time we get 10 inches of snow! ;)
25th can b pk’d on, no plowing evah
Ya pays yer taxes, ya takes yer chances.
To set up a parking schedule AFTER snow storms with large fines and towing would cause a GREAT DEAL of difficulty for some of our residents.
Not everybody in Westover Hills is healhy enough to be moving heavy snow, especially after it’s turned to ice.
And the days of youths with shovels walking the streets looking to earn a buck are long since passed.
I’d suggest a much better approach is for some of the strong young bucks in the affected neighborhoods form a “snow brigade” to help folks who can’t clear a path to move their cars take to the streets and get them moving.
Short of that, I’d say let the small feeder streets be… They’ve never been plowed in the past, so what’s the panic now?
If residents have a problem with that, they can move their cars to the roads that have felt the kiss of the plow and walk a block or so.
Instead of plows, other cities are using trucks that collect the snow and melt it so that water just drains from them as they go by. I realize that Richmond does not get a lot of snow, but maybe it should look at updating technology.