City Manager Offers Snow Tips

Even though it's coming a month after the surprise snowfall on Halloween that knocked out power to much of the northeast, Gaithersburg's City Manager Angel Jones has some advice on staying safe in the snow.

She posted a press release on the city's website outlining what the Department of Public works does when the white stuff starts to fall—and what you can do to help make their job easier.

Here are some of her bullet points:

• We apply road salt and/or abrasives when snow begins to stick to the road.  It takes a couple of hours to treat all City streets.
  
  
• We start plowing when we get one to two inches on the roadway.
  
  
• We use about 60 people and 35 pieces of equipment to remove snow. It takes seven to eight hours to plow all of the City's streets one time.
  
  
• Depending on the length of storm and how fast the snow is falling, most streets will be plowed several times during the storm.
  
  
• After the snow ends, streets will be cleared a final time. Crews work around the clock until all streets are cleared.
  
  
• The crews need to clear streets from curb to curb or shoulder to shoulder. This allows for optimum traffic flow, keeps storm drains clear, lets you park curbside after the storm, and provides space for crews to operate during heavy snows.
  
  
• If you have off-street parking, use it.  If you must park on the street, please obey the No Parking signs, park close to the curb, and avoid parking on cul-de-sacs or at the end of a dead-end street.
  
  
• Certain streets within the City are designated as Snow Emergency Routes. Once a snow emergency is declared, it is illegal to park on these roads – you may be ticketed or towed. Announcements for snow emergency situations are made on television and radio news broadcasts. It is generally safe to assume that if roads become snow covered, a snow emergency will go into effect.
  
  
• Some streets that are not designated as Snow Emergency Routes have parking restrictions that prohibit parking on one side of the street during snow emergencies. Please obey these signs as well to help us clear the snow better, and to help you avoid being ticketed.
  
  
• The City plows public streets only. Private streets, mews, alleys, driveways, parking lots, head-in parking spaces, and entranceways are the responsibility of the property owner.