When some Highland Park neighbors noticed their road hadn’t been plowed after the massive weekend snowstorm, a group of residents came to the rescue.
All it took was one person’s message to a local text group called “Dude Dads,” which Gary Steinbauer and others residents are in. People began exiting their homes — armed with shovels.
As the group shoveled down the Wellesley Road cobblestone hill, there was the question of where to put all the snow.
In observance of city’s guidelines, they “really tried” to dump the snow into their yards, Steinbauer said, and off the sidewalks.
In the aftermath of Sunday’s snowstorm, people are shoveling out — and wondering what shoveling guidelines to follow.
To start, property owners are responsible for shoveling their sidewalks, said Molly Onufer, spokeswoman for Mayor Corey O’Connor.
“Whether that’s a house or a business, they should be providing shoveling and salting,” she told TribLive. “This helps our neighbors, pedestrians, first responders, postal workers and more.”
Where to go with the snow
The snow has to go somewhere, but “we do ask that when shoveling, please do not shovel it into the streets,” Onufer added.
But what if the streets are still massive piles of snow?
“We really tried to definitely move it out of the center of the road and ideally put it in folks yards,” Steinbauer said Wednesday.
Though the snowstorm has ended, the mounds of snow piled around Western Pennsylvania’s roadways, sidewalks and driveways aren’t going anywhere, just like in Steinbauer’s neighborhood.
When shoveling snow, it should be moved onto lawn areas or close to the curb, the city said. In heavy snow, parking spaces should be sacrificed to pile snow.
Melissa Maczko, a PennDOT spokesperson, warned that property owners can be held liable and/or face fines for shoveling snow onto state roads. This can also increase the potential for crashes, she told TribLive in a statement Wednesday.
“State law requires citizens to use and maintain their property in ways that avoid creating hazardous road conditions for others, including not obstructing highway lanes and drainage facilities with snow and ice,” she said.
There is a diagram on PennDOT’s website that shows the recommended snow removal process for property owners.
“Whenever clearing driveway entry points, PennDOT recommends moving show to the right side of the driveway and clear a section prior to the driveway to lessen the amount of snow a plow might push unto the driveway,” Maczko said. “Property owners should also avoid creating large piles at entrances, as high accumulations of snow can obstruct the vision of motorists — posing a safety hazard.”
While he plans to abide by shoveling rules, Steinbauer wishes the city would help out on Wellesley Road. He doesn’t remember a plow coming down his street in nine years. No city trucks arrived this week.
“We really don’t count on it, ” Steinbauer said. “We have yet to have a plow come down our street. It’s unplowed, unsalted currently.”
Specific shoveling rules
Greensburg streets superintendent Tom Bell said he called police to two locations on Tuesday where snow was found on the road — in one spot because a resident was using a snowblower to clear their driveway.
Police Chief Charles Irvin said by the time police got to that location, the resident had removed the snow on their own from the road and put it back on their property.
Putting snow on a road that has already been plowed and salted can create a hazard by potentially making the street icy, Bell said.
Per Greensburg policy, snow and ice must be removed from all sidewalks in front of or alongside properties within 24 hours after snow or ice has ceased to fall or form.
Crews used front loaders and dump trucks around town Wednesday to load up and remove snow from parking areas.
Hempfield Township manager Aaron Siko said residents are responsible for clearing their sidewalks, if they have one. Some issues have been addressed with residents putting snow on the roads, but no violations have been issued.
“We have addressed some concerns where we have had property owners push snow out into the roadways,” Siko said.
According to Hempfield’s policy, all snow and ice that fell or formed needs to be removed within 10 hours after it has fallen. But if it falls after 6 p.m., it may be removed any time before 10 a.m. the next morning. No snow or ice may be placed in streets or alleys, the policy says.
Irwin Borough Manager Shari Martino said Wednesday that borough officials will evaluate the issue of snow-covered sidewalks later this week.
In Irwin, the borough code requires that the property owner, occupant or tenant of every property having a sidewalk and/or curb in front of or behind their property and alongside any street or alley in the borough should remove or have removed all snow and ice within 10 hours after snowfall.
If the snowfall ends after 6 p.m., it should be removed before 10 a.m. the following morning.
Mark Marmo, code enforcement and zoning officer in Lower Burrell, said there’s an ordinance that prohibits discharging products onto city roads, which includes grass and snow.
Property owners are also responsible for clearing their sidewalks within 24 hours after the ending of snow, sleet or freezing rain. The path on the sidewalk should be at least 36 inches in width, according to Lower Burrell.
TribLive staff writers Renatta Signorini and Joe Napsha contributed.
