Why does the plow push snow into my driveway?
The city is responsible for clearing streets of snow and ice to allow for emergency access, vehicular traffic, and daytime parking. The city clears the street from curb to curb to ensure that emergency vehicles and all traffic can move safely. As the city trucks pass driveways, some snow rolls off the edge of the side-discharge plow and into the driveway, particularly if the driveway has already been cleared. There are ways for you to minimize this problem. When shoveling out the portion of your driveway closest to the street, push the snow to the right (as you face the street) so that it will be “downstream” when the plow comes by. Please be aware that in a very heavy snow or during storms where snow continues to fall, plows may make as many as 3 or 4 passes to clear the roadways.

Cul-de-sacs are particularly difficult to plow during snow removal operations. The city has 145 cul-de-sacs that are plowed after each snow event. Smaller trucks are used to negotiate turns on these streets. Cul-de-sacs are cleared just as the street is with the driver plowing in a counter-clockwise circle from the inside to the outside. As the driveways on streets, it is inevitable that some snow will come off the plow. Try to wait until the cul-de-sac has been plowed before clearing your driveway. When you do shovel, push snow to the right side of the driveway to keep it from being pushed back into the area just cleared. Plowing snow from the outside of the cul-de-sac to the middle does not work. Using this approach, the driver would eventually run out of room to pile the snow. Also, plowing driveways to the middle of the island is possible but would require too much time and risk damage to private property. Fire hydrants are located in many cul-de-sac islands; for fire safety, these cannot be buried by plowed snow.

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1. Which major roads are maintained by the state or county, and which does the city maintain?
2. My yard was damaged by city snowplows. Who will repair it?
3. My mailbox was damaged by city snowplows. Who will repair it?
4. How does the city decide when snow / ice removal is needed?
5. Why does the city have an overnight parking ban on all streets?
6. Why does the plow push snow into my driveway?
7. Can I push the snow from my driveway into the street?
8. Who is responsible for clearing the snow 3 feet around the fire hydrant?
9. How do I report a pothole on my street?
10. When will my street be swept?
11. I have a dead animal on my street. Who picks it up?
12. What do I do if my streetlight is out?
13. When will my tree be trimmed?
14. What is Lockport’s tree policy?
15. I had a tree removed. When will it be replaced?
16. When does the city plant sod, and when do they use black dirt and seed?
17. I have a loose or hanging tree limb. What do I do?
18. What do I do about leaf pickup?
19. There is water in my basement. What should I do?
20. There was a water main break on my street, and my yard was damaged. When will it be repaired?
21. How do I locate my B-box?
22. What do I do if I have rusty water after a main break repair or hydrant flushing?
23. Who do I call for sewer issues?
24. I am going to dig in my yard. Do I need to call J.U.L.I.E.?
25. There are different colored flags in my yard. Why are they there, and what do they mean?
26. I am having problems with mosquitoes. Who should I call?
27. Who will handle my branch/brush/yard waste pick up?
28. Where do residents drop off their Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ) reports?