"Windrows occur": City weighs in after Calgarian upset over snowplow job
A viral post from a Calgarian upset over snow piled up on a sidewalk on their street after a snowplow reportedly drove by has the City of Calgary saying that the snow pile-ups, also known as windrows, can sometimes happen.
In an email to Daily Hive regarding the post, the City of Calgary says windrows are typically the result of plowing. Occasionally, some snow can be pushed towards the curb, leaving a mound of snow known as a windrow.
“Our plow operators make efforts to minimize windrows when possible, and to distribute snow evenly on either side. However, during periods of high accumulation, windrows are likely to occur during snow-clearing operations. It should be noted that snow can also be displaced by vehicles and buses travelling along these routes, without a specific address we can’t confirm if this was the result of plowing,” the statement read.
The City added that it will typically not return to clearing windrows in residential areas, and it is up to the adjacent property owner to determine whether they would like to do so.
Crews also prioritize windrow work in certain areas, clearing windrows along high-priority intersections, including near schools, hospitals, and care centres, at priority bus stops and wheelchair ramp locations, and crosswalks along Priority 1 and 2 routes.
Posted to Reddit by u/xyzdot over the weekend, the original poster claimed that the “city plowed and blocked all sidewalks.” Two photos show snow piled across the sidewalk, so much so that it completely covered any pavement to indicate a sidewalk is indeed there.
The post seems to have struck a nerve with some, amassing nearly 600 comments and more than 1,400 upvotes.