05 Feb Snow Removal FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Snow Operations

Why is there snow piled up behind my vehicle? Can’t they push all the snow to the end of the street? The snow must fall off the plow blade to allow the truck to keep moving. Otherwise, the snow would quickly pile up and preventing the truck from moving, leaving a mountain of snow in the middle of the road. If you have one foot of snow pushed forward 6 feet there would be a 6 foot mountain of snow in front of the truck. Plowing doesn’t remove the snow from the site; rather the plow pushes snow to the left and right and continues forward. Why did they plow my car in again, after I finally got it out of all the snow? In heavy snow, we must visit a property more than once. Multiple visits are necessary because if there is too much accumulation the plow trucks will not be able to effectively move the snow. Plowing does not remove the snow it only pushes it from one place and relocates it to another. We do the best job we can to avoid putting snow in inconvenient places. If possible, it’s best to wait until the end of the storm to dig your vehicle out. Why can’t all of the snow be pushed to the center islands? When plowing around islands, the snow is forced to the outer edges and falls off the blade there. If there is room sometimes the snow can be pushed inward but only if the ability exists to back up and push forward. Plow trucks are much longer than you may think. Most properties have very little room to back the truck up but we do try our best to do what is most convenient for our clients when plowing. Why is snow in my empty parking space? Our policy is to not place snow in empty parking spaces; however, there are some instances where this is unavoidable. In these cases, we try to keep the snow to the front of the parking space so you can still park. In extreme events, the truck may have no choice but to completely plow in a space because there is no other place to move the snow. This can happen in very tight areas, around corners and when there are cars parked on both sides of a street. If we must shovel our car out of the snow, what is the best way to go about this? If you must shovel your car out of the snow, you should place the snow away from the road and walkways. This will help eliminate some of the snow that would otherwise be piled back around your car when the plow comes through. Though this will not completely eliminate your car from having snow pushed near it, when the snow is plowed, it will greatly decrease the amount of extra snow pushed near your vehicle and walkways. Additionally, it would be best to wait until the plow has finished plowing and the storm has finished before digging out your car. If multiple trips are needed chances are the plow will have to again push snow near your car. Please keep in mind, if there are large storms and the snow is thrown from vehicles into the roadway, the snow may become too heavy for a regular plow resulting in the need to bring in a loader which would create delays and more expense. Please stay safe and warm! Happy Holidays from Professional Grounds, Inc.