Winter Resident Reminders

Winter Rules

As the winter season nears, the Village asks residents to abide by a few rules which will keep our streets safe. These rules are:

• When shoveling your driveway, deposit the snow on the parkway to the right side as you face the street. That way, snowplows will not push the snow back into your drive. It is a violation of Village Ordinance to deposit snow from a sidewalk or driveway onto Village streets.
• Do not impede snow plowing equipment when snow plowing operations are underway. It is dangerous to disrupt them while they are in operation.
• Watch your children and, for their safety, discourage them from playing in the parkway during snow plowing operations.
• No cars should be parked on Village streets when the streets are being plowed. Parking is prohibited during snow storms of two or more inches. Vehicles in violation of this Ordinance are subject to ticketing and towing.
• Village Ordinance requires residents to remove snow and ice from sidewalks around their homes within 24 hours after snowfall has ceased.

Why is Snow Always Left at the End of My Driveway?

Unfortunately, this is one of the consequences of owning a home in northern Illinois. Despite popular opinion, crews do not place snow in driveways on purpose. There is no practical way for the snow plow operator to cut off the windrow of snow when crossing a driveway. This problem is especially acute in cul-de-sacs because this is a very confined space. Cul-de-sacs require that all of the snow on the roadway within that confined space be placed along the outside of the circle. The problem is compounded by the fact that each homeowner then must clear their driveway, which places large piles on the corners of the drives.

In a cul-de-sac, it is extremely difficult to have the truck push snow onto a center island. Trucks are not built to be articulated into an angle that would allow placing a portion of the snow on the island, and centrifugal force causes the snow to move off of the plow toward the outside of the circle. Public Work's goal in clearing all streets is to maintain as much of the normal pavement width as possible, while at the same time, allowing acceptable access to the mailboxes for the postal carriers.

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. This reduces the chance of snow previously removed from the driveway being pushed back onto your drive. This suggestion, however, may not work in cul-de-sacs that have driveway openings placed close together.

Unfortunately, the Village does not have the personnel to clean driveways. This is the responsibility of the resident. Residents are reminded that disposing of snow on the street is a violation of the Village Code.