Snow Removal Policy



The City of Lyndon Public Works Department is responsible for responding to snow events. It is dangerous to initiate a snow clearing program during a storm when visibilities are reduced. It is also ineffective to clear streets that are passable until it stops snowing, as the traffic, additional snow accumulation, and winds tend to nullify any efforts made. Typically, a major snow clearing program is not initiated until the snowfall has stopped. The Public Works Department has three main objectives:


• Facilitate the handling of emergencies by Police, Fire, and Ambulance services during the winter;
• Reduce the hazards of icy conditions to motorists and pedestrians;
• Minimize the economic losses to the community and industry resulting from unsatisfactory winter driving conditions.

Street Priorities


Priority 1 Streets include:

• West 17th; West 15th; and West 14th Streets
• Approaches to 75 highways as well as critical locations to allow for fire, ambulance, medical, and police.
• All major utility infrastructures are to be cleared.
• Any additional locations assigned by the Public Works Director.

Priority 2 Streets include:

• Busy collector streets
• 7th Street from Topeka Ave to Date Street
• Cedar Street from 4th Street. to 7th Street.
• Jones and City Park access
• School safe route sidewalks (East 6th and East 8th Street)
• Central business district sidewalks from 5th Street to 9th Street on Topeka Ave, and 7th Street from Topeka Ave to Ash Street.
• Any additional locations assigned by the Public Works Director.

Priority 3 Streets include:

• Remaining collector streets with industrial, commercial, and retail uses.
• City sidewalks from 9th Street to 17th Street on Topeka Ave.
• Any additional locations assigned by the Public Works Director.

All local residential streets will be cleared as quickly as possible after all priority routes are clear. Once all streets have had an initial clearing, cleanup crews will be out to address specific problem areas or ridges.

The City of Lyndon does not provide snow clearing to residential alleys and lanes. We will clear snow from the central business district alleys and lanes after all other priority areas, including residential streets are completed. It is recommended that businesses contract a local snow removal company if they require service to their alley or lane on a specific timeline.

 

Snow Piles

The Public Works Department will monitor snow piles for safe sight distances at key intersections and remove them as necessary. Priorities are given to intersections and open lane entrances in the vicinity of school zones. In years of significantly above-normal snowfall, it may be impractical to remove every snow pile and priorities will be devoted to areas of higher traffic volume at major intersections.

The City prohibits private residents and businesses from clearing the snow from their property and pushing (or throwing, depositing, etc.) it onto the City Streets. By pushing snow into the streets it creates more snow for the grader to plow which may result in larger ridges in your own driveway as well as the driveways immediately adjacent.

Parked Vehicles

It is advised that residents avoid parking their vehicles on the streets during a snow clearing program. It is the owner’s responsibility to dig their vehicle out if it gets surrounded by windrows or snow ridges. It significantly slows the clearing program down, and is hazardous for the grader, as well as other traffic. Residents are to move their cars to an alternate location (driveway), where possible. The City is not responsible for clearing the windrows away from vehicles that are parked in the streets during plow operations.

Commercial and Industrial:

It is prohibited for any private commercial or industrial property to deposit snow on City property or on windrows that the City creates or maintains. Fines will be given. The City will not remove windrows of snow resulting from snow plowing operations from loading zones serving commercial, industrial or apartment buildings. It is the responsibility of the owner to take care of clearing these out.


Created: February 2011
Updated and Adopted by Council: November 6, 2023