Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

West Lafayette City Council To Discuss New Emergency Snow Routes

Stan Jastrzebski
/
WBAA News

An ordinance the West Lafayette City Council will consider Monday calls for the removal of any vehicle or equipment parked in new emergency snow routes.

West Lafayette street commissioner Ben Anderson says the rule would apply when two inches of snow is on the ground or is forecast to fall.

"Weather forecasters do the best they can to predict," Anderson says. "You can have a slight change in the wind direction and it can totally affect how much snow we get."

The public should receive notice of snow route days somewhat in advance. Anderson says if forecasters call for two inches of snow or more on a given day, then that’s a day the rule will apply – even if actual precipitation turns out to be lighter.

"It hinders and slows down our operations to be able to get to the roadways cleaned and opened up, reduces our liability for damage," Anderson says.

Rule violators would be subject to a $40 fine and a possible towing – as well as paying any towing costs.

Anderson says he hopes roadways will be safer for traffic and for snow removal vehicles. He says in the past, the city had to pay for damage that resulted from plowing snow onto citizens’ cars.

A list of the proposed snow routes can be found here.