Snow Plowing Policy

CITY OF TORRINGTON
Street Department Plowing Policy

Residences are reminded that a citywide Parking Ban runs from December 1st to April 1st, between the hours of Midnight to Seven A.M.

Residences are reminded that the best practice for clearing driveways and sidewalks is to wait until the City has completed plowing all streets.

The City of Torrington is committed to providing safe and sustainable winter maintenance operations while continuing to improve those operations to provide safety and mobility for the traveling public. As an integral part of this effort, the City will strive to optimize the use of all winter maintenance materials as they pursue the goal of a safe and sustainable transportation system.

The City of Torrington public works staff will strive, insofar as reasonably practicable, to provide safe winter road conditions for vehicular and pedestrian traffic as set out in the level of service policies of the City of Torrington Winter Operations Plan and within the resources established by the City Council.

In addition to roads the Department also maintains:

The streets are generally plowed in the order of road classification.

Road Classification

• Arterial: Generally, arterial roads are maintained by the State. They include interstate and major highways.
• Primary: Are high-traffic municipal roads that connect to Arterial roads. They may also be associated with the location of other municipal first response locations such as Fire or Police. Additionally, they may be associated with important geographic locations such as major bridges.
• Secondary: Are lower traffic roads that connect Local roads to Primary roads.
• Local: Are low-traffic roads that may or may not have dead ends. These roads bring residential and business districts to Secondary or Primary roads.

Level of Service

Below is a rough estimate of how long it will take the City to clear all streets from the time it stops snowing. Parking lots and sidewalks are not started until the streets are cleared.

For example: if we receive 3 to 4 inches of snow, it will take 8 hours from the time snow stops to clear all streets. It will take an additional 9 hours (17 hours total) from the time snow stops to clear all City sidewalks. Therefore if it stops snowing at 2:00 AM, primary roads would be clear at 7:00 AM, secondary roads would be clear at 9:00 AM, local roads would be clear at 10:00 AM, and, sidewalks would be clear at 7:00 PM.

These estimates may be affected by the following issues which could further delay the level of service.

1. Equipment breakdown
2. Vehicles disabled in deep snow
3. Weather so severe as to cause work to be stopped for the safety of all personnel
4. Unforeseen conditions and emergencies
5. Significant medical-related emergencies
6. Sick Employees

The Best Practice for Clearing Sidewalks & Driveways

The best practice for clearing driveways and sidewalks is to wait until the City has completed plowing all streets. This will avoid the need to clean up after each time the plow goes by. The primary goal of plowing is to remove snow from streets so that the road is open to vehicular traffic. Plowing pushes snow to the side from the middle of the street, and unfortunately, this results in snow piling up in front of driveways and sidewalks. Snowplow operators do not place snow in driveways and sidewalks on purpose. All snow plows angle the same way - to the driver's right - and when going by they will push the snow in front of a driveway. There is no practical way for the snowplow operator to cut off the windrow of snow when crossing a driveway. This problem is especially acute in cul-de-sacs because of the lack of space. In addition, the driver cannot stop or raise the plow at each driveway, as this would leave a pile of snow in the roadway.

One thing you can do to reduce the amount of snow that is plowed in front of your driveway is to place as much of the snow as possible to the right side of your drive as you face the street. (See illustration below) This will place the snow in a spot where the plow will not push it back in on your driveway. It is also best to blow or shovel snow into yard space when available. Unfortunately, in many areas throughout the city, the snow shelf is either nonexistent or not large enough to store the volume of snow that must be discharged off the road. (The snow shelf is defined as the area between the gutter and sidewalk) Snow placed in the road adds to the volume of snow that is pushed toward the gutter, and your driveway and/or sidewalk.

Residents may wish to wait until the plow has been through their road prior to cleaning their driveway, mailbox, and sidewalk area. This is generally about 6 hours after the precipitation stops. This practice would help to mitigate the need to re-plow or re-shovel. If drifting or more snow occurs the plows may have to make multiple passes on a road at a later time to keep the road clear. It is also best to not park cars in front of your home, as the plows will eventually plow the excess snow left around them when the car moves. Please remember that the clearing of driveway, mailbox, and sidewalk areas is the responsibility of the resident. Elderly or disabled residents may wish to contact their yard maintenance contractor for help.

Per the City of Torrington ordinances, Torrington property owners are responsible for keeping all sidewalks abutting their property clear of snow and ice. Heavily used sidewalks near schools and along state highways are particularly important. Residents may wish to wait until the plow has been through their road prior to cleaning their driveway, mailbox, and sidewalk area. (see graphic above) This is generally about 6 hours after the precipitation stops. This practice would help to mitigate the need to re-plow or re-shovel. If drifting or more snow occurs the plows may have to make multiple passes on a road at a later time to keep the road clear. It is also best to not park cars in front of your home, as the plows will eventually plow the excess snow left around them when the car moves. Please remember that the clearing of driveway, mailbox, and sidewalk areas is the responsibility of the resident. Elderly or disabled residents may wish to contact their yard maintenance contractor for help.

The City of Torrington prohibits anyone from pushing snow from driveways or parking lots onto city streets. This practice is dangerous and impedes the city’s snow removal efforts.