It snowed all day yesterday. Why didn’t the City declare a snow emergency and plow the streets?
The City’s decision to declare a snow emergency is not directly related to the City’s plowing of its streets during and after a snowstorm. As soon as snow starts falling, City crews begin the process of plowing, salting, and sanding streets. When plowing, they focus on plowing the driving lanes of every street. This continues regardless of the amount of snow and continues as long as it is needed. When at least 4″ of snow has fallen, the City will consider declaring a snow emergency – for the purposes of plowing the parking lanes of each street. A snow emergency gives the City the opportunity to plow the streets curb to curb and ensure that the streets are accessible to emergency vehicles. So, any snow triggers street plowing, but a large amount of snow triggers a snow emergency to ensure that parking lanes can be cleared.
