Snow-removal policy needs to be changed

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Lincoln’s snowplow drivers are to be commended for the long, hard hours they put in during and after snowstorms.

But thin resources sometimes can mean doing your best isn’t good enough.

That’s the case with Lincoln snow removal.

Residents have a right to the government services they want to pay for, and having clear, safe roads is among the most fundamental of those.

Many residents have made it clear they expect better snow removal.

Mayor Chris Beutler said last month he’s open to re-examining Lincoln’s policy.

“If you want to change something, let’s talk about it,” he told Councilman Jon Camp after Camp asked what Lincoln’s policy was on residential streets.

Wayne Teten, city maintenance manager, said Beutler this week asked him to look at things the city could do better.

“We will be reviewing policies,” Teten said.

This is a welcome move.

The city’s policies need to be re-examined in several areas:

n Resources devoted to plowing.

Andrew Edwards, street superintendent for Lincoln, said the city’s average snowplow route is 60 lane miles, which takes about five hours to clear. Edwards would like to see routes of about 40 miles.

“There’s no doubt in my mind. We’re stretched,” Edwards said.

Teten agreed, saying many cities’ snowplow drivers operate only 25 to 30 lane miles.

If Lincoln wants more service, “we need more workers to start,” Teten said.

Lincoln has enough people to use all of its equipment on the first shift, he said, but on the second shift, 15 to 16 pieces of equipment are idle because of a lack of workers who have the Commercial Driver’s Licenses needed to operate the heavy machinery. If enough drivers are available, adding trucks would help reduce the load, Teten said.

The city needs to reduce the routes to allow for drivers to get to all areas in a more timely fashion, before roads have the chance to get snow- and ice-packed.

n Residential street policy.

Lincoln’s policy right now is to plow residential streets only if it snows more than four inches or high winds cause drifting.

Other cities surveyed by the Journal Star — including Omaha, Rochester, Minn., and Chicago — consider plowing residential streets even if only a couple of inches of snow have fallen.

“For the most part, if we have our arterials and secondaries done, we’ll typically go into the residential streets,” said Scott McIntyre, street maintenance engineer for Omaha.

The four-inch amount is on the high side, especially early in winter when the road conditions with which residents are left are likely to stick around for weeks.

n Treating neighborhood streets with ice-melting products.

Right now, the city only treats residential roads by request. Teten said it has been a concern in the past that residents might get upset if salt accidentally gets on their grass, but that treating neighborhood intersections earlier “could save money by saving additional trips” by city workers because streets would melt more quickly.

Camp said he welcomes the re-evaluation of city policies.

“It’s a tough balancing act” of improving road safety versus how much money improving snow removal could cost the city.

Camp said he wonders if the city is using all resources as efficiently as possible. The city’s trails are cleared before many streets; Camp said he has been told that’s because different equipment is used on the trails. However, the same equipment is used to clear the private townhome street where he lives, Camp said, so perhaps that type of equipment could be used on some public streets.

It’s definitely time to talk about these issues and do something before severe weather conditions come Lincoln’s way next year.