Author Topic: Snow being plowed?  (Read 13679 times)

Offline Hack72

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Snow being plowed?
« on: January 04, 2011, 11:12:39 PM »
I hate to whine, but I'm going to.  The snowstorm was a week and a half ago, and still, there are many, many streets in Hackensack that are narrowed to one lane with the snow.  Why have the plows not been through to finish the job?  There hasn't been street sweeping.  I wonder if cars that were parked in the street sweeping areas were ticketed? 

There is no where to park on Main Street or near the schools.  Yet tickets were being given out along Main Street to every overtime meter.  There are snow drifts in streets, on corners, blocking crosswalks and handicap-accessible curbs. 

Where are the priorities of this city?



Offline Editor

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2011, 12:15:59 AM »
DPW removed tons of snow off Main Street immediately after the storm. Main Street is clear, at least in the downtown.  What part of Main Street are you referring to?  I still see snow removal crews all over the place.  This was a huge storm. You should see Hoboken.



Offline irons35

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2011, 09:35:13 AM »
Main St from Spring Valley to at least Orchard St is essentially one and a half lanes wide. many corners need to be cleaned up. 
« Last Edit: January 05, 2011, 09:37:37 AM by irons35 »

Offline Hack72

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2011, 11:49:07 AM »
The metered parking along Main Street is largely plowed.  Seems priority was given to freeing up meters, including the municipal lots, and the same meter enforcement is down there lying in wait for the meter to run out.   Come eat and shop in our city.  You have exactly 120 minutes.  Relax and enjoy.

The corners and the side streets around the library and the downtown are a mess.  Prospect Ave, Union Street, Clinton Place, and side streets throughout the city are still very poorly plowed.  The side streets remain one lane only in most places.  You'll notice you cannot even see the word "STOP" painted at several intersections.  Also, many, many fire zones are covered in snow, notably in front of Fairmount School. 

Mounds of snow at intersections make visibility difficult for drivers and nearly impossible for pedestrians.

I understand it was a big storm.  Had they taken the same number of trucks they put out for street sweeping with a plow on them and followed the usual street sweeping route, it would be done by now. 

And I'm not particularly interested in comparing Hackensack to Hoboken.  There are nearly as many people living in Hoboken as in Hackensack and they have 1.28 miles to live in, not 4.1. 

Offline Editor

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2011, 02:43:58 PM »
The business owners rely on the metered parking being available and enforced.  They need a steady turnover of shopper parking. Without a two hour limit, the spaces would be used by non-shoppers for extended periods, preventing use by shoppers.  There are several shopper lots with 12 hour limits for those who want to stay longer.

I agree with you about snow mounds at intersections, some of which need more clearing.  Naturally, resources are always an issue.  With finite snow removal budgets, overtime budgets, etc. - choices are made so that we can live to fight another storm.  We are still very early in the season with more snow predicted for this weekend. 

« Last Edit: January 05, 2011, 06:50:24 PM by Editor »

Offline Hack72

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2011, 09:13:19 PM »
Your points are well-taken.  I understand the need for the meters, it's just very frustrating.  I frequently use the library for consultations and have been ticketed 4 times in the past few months.  I always have my quarters, but if I'm a minute or two late, I'm too late.  I have found a few "safe zones" where I can park without getting ticketed, and they were all buried in snow this time.

And as far as snow removal goes, I hope the sanitation department will keep an eye on safety during the next storm.

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2011, 11:13:35 PM »
Try parking in the lot behind Musically Yours, Lot D.  I think you have more than 2 hours there. It's just across from the Library.

Offline Hack72

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2011, 12:17:09 PM »
Thanks for the info - I will do that!  :)

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2011, 03:46:56 PM »
Yes, I checked today.  Lot D has a 12 hour limit, .25 for 1/2 hour, free weekends.  You access the lot from State or Camden.  The lot was recently refurbished by the City and the Upper Main Alliance, complete with new meters, lighting and sidewalks. 

Here are some pictures of the ever-growing "snow mountain" at Foschini Park.  In the time it took me to take these pictures, two more dump trucks emptied their loads.  The pictures don't do it justice, but it covers the area of a football field and is more than 15 high in some areas. 

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2011, 10:31:03 PM »
December snowstorm cost North Jersey towns $6M
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Last updated: Sunday January 23, 2011, 9:48 AM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
The Record
STAFF WRITER

The post-Christmas blizzard that covered the region in as much as 2 feet of snow also dumped a $6 million cleanup bill on North Jersey's towns and counties, according to cost estimates compiled by The Record.

The bills for salt, plows, emergency responders and repair work during the Dec. 26-27 storm ranged from $210,000 in Teaneck and $280,000 in West Milford to $12,000 in Leonia and $20,000 in Bloomingdale, according to preliminary estimates.

Local and county officials in Bergen and Passaic laid out the storm-related expenses in recently submitted applications for federal disaster aid. The total spent in both counties comes to slightly more than $6 million.Clearing the roads

Days after the storm, Governor Christie asked President Obama to declare a disaster in 13 counties, including Bergen and Passaic, a move that may allow towns to receive partial reimbursement for storm-related expenditures.

Sgt. Barry Leventhal, a deputy coordinator for Bergen County's Office of Emergency Management, said his office is "very optimistic" federal officials will grant the declaration, "based on our initial contact with FEMA."

That could come as good news to local officials, many of whom said the blizzard depleted their 2010 snow removal budgets.

"This storm had a pretty big impact on us," said Stephen Lo Iacono, the city manager in Hackensack.

The city spent an estimated $180,000 on the blizzard — and combined with the cost of the big snowstorm in February — exceeded its 2010 snow removal budget. Lo Iacono said he had to transfer money from other accounts that had a surplus.

"If we didn't have to transfer those funds to snow accounts, it would have gone into surplus, which can be used to reduce taxation," Lo Iacono said.

Hackensack and about 80 other towns and organizations in Bergen and Passaic counties filled out so-called preliminary damage assessment estimates in the week after the storm. The forms are used by FEMA to review the impact of potential disasters. The amounts requested by towns vary widely, as do the type of expenditures listed.

Some examples: Clifton paid $20,000 to fix 10 manholes damaged in the storm; Northvale paid $3,000 to repair plows; Lodi paid $12,000 in overtime for public works employees; and Englewood paid $12,456 for 200 tons of salt.

Some private organizations that have traditionally been eligible because they provide emergency services, such as Preakness Healthcare Center in Wayne, also submitted requests.

The estimates will be compiled for all 13 counties and sent to federal emergency management officials. Leventhal said that if a disaster is declared, applicants can expect to get up to 75 percent of their submitted eligible costs.

Paramus' $90,000 storm cleanup bill forced the borough to exceed its 2010 snow removal budget, too, said Administrator Joseph D'Arco. He did not immediately know by how much or where the money would come from. But that was secondary, he said, to keeping the public safe.

"Cost is always part of the equation, but when you're in a state of emergency, you do what you have to do to protect the public."

He said the borough "attacked the storm," keeping Paramus "in good shape compared to most cities and towns."

"We ran around the clock. Every piece of equipment the borough had was in operation. The fleet maintenance crew, including mechanics, worked all night," D'Arco said.

Teaneck spent by far the most of any municipality in Bergen County — more than $210,000 — or more than four times the average spent by municipalities in Bergen.

Township Manager William Broughton said the estimate "involved costs for police overtime, fire department overtime, DPW overtime, contractors for snow removal … that's the entire cost to the township over all departments. I don't know if every town did that."

He praised employees and contractors for their response to the storm and said "we got so many outstanding compliments from residents" after the December blizzard.

This winter's string of storms, Broughton said, is "certainly putting a strain on our budget." Teaneck several years ago developed a trust fund for snow removal, he said.

"We do have some money in that account that we can draw from," he said. "But if that were to get drawn down, we'd have a problem."

What snow removal cost North Jersey towns after the blizzard of Dec. 26-27:

Bergen County
Allendale $47,548
Alpine $13,491
Bergenfield $36,750
Bogota $29,630
Carlstadt $39,378
Cliffside Park $83,000
Closter $52,170
Cresskill $40,438
Demarest $9,745
Dumont $30,000
East Rutherford $70,159
Edgewater $51,568
Elmwood Park $38,000
Emerson $32,392
Englewood $28,487
Englewood Cliffs $23,981
Fair Lawn $68,357
Fairview $20,000
Fort Lee $78,000
Franklin Lakes $79,922
Glen Rock $60,577
Hackensack $180,000
Hasbrouck Heights $78,031
Haworth $28,715
Hillsdale $75,500
Leonia $12,008
Little Ferry $20,000
Lodi $55,659
Lyndhurst $48,629
Mahwah $85,195
Midland Park $18,441
Montvale $79,800
Moonachie $13,155
New Milford $45,434
North Arlington $33,000
Northvale $14,634
Norwood $9,898
Oakland $80,202
Old Tappan $65,000
Palisades Park $133,629
Paramus $100,000
Park Ridge $20,000
Ramsey $30,000
Ridgefield $47,000
Ridgefield Park $85,442
Ridgewood $91,846
River Edge $23,407
River Vale $38,561
Rochelle Park $8,644
Rockleigh $2,160
Rutherford $56,914
Saddle Brook $15,000
South Hackensack $31,002
Teaneck $210,708
Tenafly n/a
Upper Saddle River $49,593
Waldwick $63,000
Wallington $37,029
Washington Twp. $22,961
Westwood $26,539
Woodcliff Lake $37,952
Wood-Ridge $167,000
Wyckoff $82,000

Passaic County
Bloomingdale $20,000
City of Passaic $172,000
Clifton $136,000
Haledon $28,750
Hawthorne $29,250
Little Falls $32,953
North Haledon $34,847
Paterson $214,193
Pompton Lakes $47,256
Prospect Park $19,204
Ringwood $73,680
Totowa $60,800
Wanaque $30,161
Wayne $138,774
West Milford $280,578
Woodland Park $58,000

Note: Costs are preliminary estimates and subject to change.
Sources: Bergen and Passaic county emergency management departments

E-mail: boburg@northjersey.com

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2011, 08:59:28 AM »
DEP relaxes rules on dumping snow
Thursday, January 27, 2011
BY SCOTT FALLON
The Record
STAFF WRITER

Some towns and counties will be allowed to dump snow in rivers even though it can contaminate water with salt, garbage and motor oil, officials with the Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday.

With mounds of snow already accumulated from the season’s seven storms and temperatures expected to stay near or below freezing, DEP officials said they would allow river disposal on a case-by-case basis.

Excess snow cannot be dumped in wetlands, small streams, waters that contain shellfish beds or reservoirs. Trucks are not allowed to dump if they could cause shoreline damage or erosion.

Towns often try to stockpile snow in parks and on ballfields. But DEP officials have heard from mayors and public works directors that those spots are running out, particularly in cities.

"We’ve been getting some calls asking to do this, but we have to evaluate whether it makes sense at first," said Larry Ragonese, a DEP spokesman. "You don’t want to harm the work you’ve already done to improve water quality."

Bill Sheehan, head of the Hackensack Riverkeeper advocacy group, said he’s fine with the DEP’s decision as long as the dumping is limited, no garbage goes into a river and the staff carefully considers the state of whatever body they allow dumping in.

"The worst part of it is what’s under the snow," Sheehan said. "People put out trash. It gets snowed over. It gets dumped into the river. And then you have bags of garbage floating down the river for days."

Likewise, Ross Kushner of the Pequannock River Coalition didn’t object to the move.

"All of that salt is going to reach the rivers anyway when it melts," he said. "I don’t think it’s a huge danger."

Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi said the city would consider it if the city ran out of places to stockpile snow. The city used to routinely dump snow in the Passaic River, but new regulations and the development of Route 21 along the riverfront put a stop to the practice, he said.

"Our problem would be finding a place where we can dump it safely," Anzaldi said.

Another environmental hazard from snow dumping is excess sand, which can create sand bars, fill in wetlands and cause localized flooding by clogging storm drains.

The DEP is taking requests from towns and counties through its Emergency Management Program. Private businesses and residents are not allowed to dump snow in any water body, even though the DEP has fielded calls from hospitals and colleges seeking advice.

E-mail: fallon@northjersey.com

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #11 on: January 28, 2011, 12:00:57 PM »
North Jersey snowfall totals set new record for January
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Last updated: Friday January 28, 2011, 10:15 AM
BY ZACH PATBERG, JUSTO BAUTISTA AND MELISSA HAYES
NorthJersey.com
STAFF WRITERS

The latest winter storm — the seventh in a wearying and seemingly unrelenting string of them — brought the snowfall total at Newark Liberty International Airport to 37.3 inches for the month of January, breaking the previous monthly record of 35.1 inches set back in 1978, the National Weather Service reported.

When the snow finally tapered off Thursday morning, a total of 61.8 inches had been recorded at the airport so far this season, approaching the seasonal record of 78.4 inches set in the winter of 1995 and 1996.

The area isn’t likely to catch much of a break anytime soon. A dusting of snow is in today’s forecast, and up to an inch could fall in the afternoon on Saturday. Snow makes an unwelcome return to the forecast on Tuesday.

“We’re getting used to it,” said Ben Martino of Bergenfield after he spent 90 minutes shoveling his driveway. “Now we know what people in Buffalo feel like.”

Through the morning and early afternoon on Thursday, the New Jersey State Police responded to 328 incidents ranging from abandoned vehicles to accidents that blocked highway exit ramps, said Lt. Stephen Jones.

 The median on Palisade Avenue in Englewood is piled up with snow. Most main thoroughfares were passable, cleared by an army of plows and salt spreaders. In Woodcliff Lake, most of the public works crew was sent home at 10 a.m. after plowing and salting every borough street and public parking lot, said David Antoine, the acting public works superintendent. The crew had been working steadily since 7 a.m. Wednesday.

And yet there were hazards. In Westwood, a tractor-trailer making a milk delivery jackknifed on a slippery stretch of Washington Avenue, stopping just shy of the front steps of a house, Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino said. The 35-year-old truck driver was treated for back pain at Hackensack University Medical Center and released.

For the second time this month, Saddle Brook Mayor Karen Chamberlain invoked an emergency statute to call back five laid-off DPW workers to help with the cleanup. She said she may call them back again Friday at an estimated expense of $5,000 if more snow develops.

State offices opened at noon after Governor Christie extended a previously announced two-hour delay.

The latest storm presented a unique challenge for forecasters. Computers found it hard to track given that it came in two spurts, the first starting mildly Wednesday morning and the second bringing heavier snowfall by mid-evening.

“I knew this forecast would be a disaster,” said Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Observers, a group of amateur and professional meteorologists. “There was so much uncertainty, until the event took place, as to who would get the most snow.”

Staff Writers Stephanie Akin, Dave Sheingold and Denisa R. Superville contributed to this article. E-mail: patberg@northjersey.com and hayes@northjersey.com

Offline Hack72

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2011, 10:49:17 PM »
Does anyone know what the usual annual budget is for Hackensack's snow removal?  It may be cynical of me, but I can't help but to think that municipalities in NJ cut their snow removal budget and chose to rely on FEMA instead.  I'm perfectly open to being corrected.  ;)

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2011, 07:21:01 PM »
This article addresses FEMA:
____________________________
Storm cleanup costs could affect budgets
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
BY KELSEY BUTLER
Town Journal

Local borough officials didn't exactly give the latest snowstorm a warm reception, as the effects of a brutal winter are starting to place a financial strain on the municipalities.

Local towns are struggling to keep their snow budgets within their expected allotment due to the brutal winter. Above, the Allendale DPW on its way back out to salt the roads earlier this winter.

Allendale Director of Operations Keith Cauwenberghs, who said "this has certainly been an unusual winter" weather-wise, said that the borough has already spent approximately $250,000 on the most recent snowstorms alone, and has not enlisted the help of outside contractors to assist in snow removal. At the Jan. 27 Borough Council meeting, Councilwoman Liz White, who serves as chair of the Public Works Committee, said that the borough has already spent $3,300 on rock salt so far this year.

According to Cauwenberghs, the borough's Department of Public Works has a temporary budget of $600,000 for snow removal for 2011. He added that in 2010, Allendale budgeted $800,000 for the same purpose.

"At this point it is too early to anticipate the need for the 2011 snow season, but on this pace we will definitely need to adjust it upwards," Cauwenberghs said in an e-mail.

Cauwenberghs said not counting himself and the department's administrative assistant, Allendale has eight full-time DPW employees and three full-time Water Department employees who plow in the wake of the storms, and three part-time employees who clear sidewalks after it snows. He added that they, and all municipal workers, certainly deserved praise for all the hard work they had put in this winter.

"All the Public Works and municipal employees - not just ours - should be given a special recognition for the time spent on dealing with all of the storms," he said. "Not one of my employees has complained about putting in the extra time. Yes, they are compensated, but at this point it is getting old and tiring ... Sometimes the general public doesn't realize just how few employees we have and the amount of time it takes to deal with the snow. I personally want to give our employees a big 'Thank You' for the work performed."

Ho-Ho-Kus, according to Borough Administrator Donald Cirulli, is removing snow with a "skeleton staff" of six DPW employees. Cirulli said that the borough uses an average of 20-30 tons of salt and sodium chloride for each snowstorm - 90 tons for last week's 19-inch snowfall - and acknowledged that "obviously there is overtime" for DPW employees.

"All of them are out plowing the snow and shoveling the public areas," he said. "We can't just drop everything else and shovel snow, so we're trying to do everything at once with a skeleton crew."

Cirulli, who stated that the average snowstorm costs the borough about $20,000, added in an e-mail, "bottom line: of course these extra costs will have an adverse effect upon our 2011 budget."

In an interview on Jan. 27, Cirulli added that the Borough Council's budget committee, comprised of himself, Mayor Thomas Randall, Chief Financial Officer Joe Citro and Council members Kevin Crossley and Kevin Shea, would be meeting for the first time to discuss next year's budget on Jan. 29.

"We'll start to get better ideas as we get into it, but we're probably going to have to cut even more ..." he said. "If we have to keep cutting and we have to keep reducing staff, which we'll be doing, at a certain point we may have to start reducing services and we don't want to do that."

Cirulli announced at the Borough Council's public meeting on Jan. 25 that the borough recently received about $40,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help with snow removal costs from a March 2010 snowstorm. He added that the borough may receive an additional $12,000 from the federal agency, but could not yet confirm that. Cirulli said that Jay Ludwig, coordinator for Ho-Ho-Kus' Office of Emergency Management, and Planning Board Chairman John Hanlon applied for the grant last year.

Saddle River Borough Administrator Chuck Cuccia said that the borough has a standing contract with Downes Tree Service, based in Hawthorne, to plow and salt streets during snowstorms. He added that due to the volume of the most recent Jan. 26 storm, Saddle River would have to pay the company in the "$40,000 to 50,000 range," far more than the $20,000 to $30,000 that the borough pays for the average snowfall.

Cuccia said the borough budgets $250,000 per year for snow removal and has spent slightly under $100,000 in 2011, but added that he doesn't anticipate that Saddle River will go over its budget.

"This is all within our regular snow budget," Cuccia said. "We're still well within our budget."

Upper Saddle River Borough Administrator Theodore Preusch said in an e-mail that the borough has budgeted $50,000 for snow removal services for this year. Of that budget, $9,400 has been has been "expended in overtime directly related to snow storms," he added.

Preusch said that this year, Upper Saddle River has contracted Ramsey-based company Grossbeck Contractors to assist in snowplowing with seven of their employees.

According to Preusch, the borough has applied for assistance from FEMAto help deal with the budgetary concerns from this year's record snowfalls. He added that thus far, "there has been no determination made on this request."

DEP relaxing restrictions

Due to the season's seven snowstorms, and the lack of space to put the piles of snow, New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has relaxed the normal restrictions on snow disposal into surface waters in the state.

DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in a statement that the agency will consider authorizing such action in "emergency situations on a case-by-case basis" during storms. Factors to be considered would include the size of the water body, presence of environmentally sensitive areas, flow of the waterway, amount of floating ice or snow this will cause, impact on downstream dams and channels being blocked, according to a statement from the DEP.

Statewide, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has formally requested a "Severe Winter Storm Declaration with Snow Assistance" from the federal government for the Dec. 26-27 storm. Christie's letter is requesting $53 million in FEMA reimbursement, including $13 million for expenses incurred by New Jersey state government, including the Department of Transportation and the Turnpike Authority.

"While New Jersey is accustomed to winter storms, the intensity of this storm required extraordinary measures which strained the resources of the state and numerous counties to maintain public safety as well as clear the state's roadways," Christie wrote in a letter to President Obama, in which he requested the assistance.

A statement from Christie's office said that starting on Jan. 3, FEMA, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and local officials conducted storm damage assessments based upon Christie's earlier letter to Obama seeking the aid. Those investigations determined that 15 counties in New Jersey, including Bergen County, were severely impacted by the late December storm.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2011, 07:23:40 PM by Editor »

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Re: Snow being plowed?
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2011, 09:20:39 PM »
Coping with the cold dark days of a New Jersey winter
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Last updated: Wednesday February 2, 2011, 11:17 AM
By JOHN CICHOWSKI
ROAD WARRIOR COLUMNIST

Like everybody else, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Pompton Plains was having a bad day Tuesday.

"People aren't shoveling sidewalks, and there's so much snow that plows can't push it past the curb," said the harried voice on the line, which identified itself only as Donna. "It's hard for us to get through, and one of our people slipped and broke a wrist."

"Ouch!" I said. "How about rooftop snow? Have you been sweeping it off your trucks?"

"Oh, yeah, we've got the equipment now," Donna replied. "Busy! Gotta go!"

Injuries. Slick, narrower roads. Late mail. Some bad days can't be helped after a series of storms.

But rooftop snow? And failing to dig out driveways? Why?

"When somebody complains about sidewalks, we issue warnings," said Elmwood Park Police Chief Don Ingrasselino.

Most police departments operate on a complaint basis. If not, municipal courts might be jammed. Fines start at $100 and go as high as $1,250 plus a court appearance. Judges can even tack on 90 days of community service or jail time. And if your mailman or a neighbor kid breaks his arm on your un-shoveled walk, you risk a lawsuit.

Liabilities also apply to carrying snow on your car's roof — a $25 to $75 fine — unless it causes damage or injury. That's when fines top $1,500 if you drive a commercial vehicle. Readers from Closter and Teaneck to Pompton Plains and Wayne have been sounding off about postal trucks carrying snow. When one Wayne reader complained, a local Postal Service spokesman cited "a lack of equipment."

"Are they exempt from the law?" asked reader Marie Lotz.

No, not according to the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety. Neither are drivers who work for schools, fire departments, tow truck companies, ambulance services and public school districts — all of whom should know better.

"The penalty should be the same as reckless driving plus a court appearance," fumed George Shater of Teaneck. "You should be required to clean your car right then and there."

Clearing the roof and hood isn't good enough, added Teaneck reader Charles Finley, who also wasn't having a good day when he proposed a "Hall of Infamy" that would include "those who are so lazy that they can't even push aside snow from headlights and brake lights."

"Who can we call — 911?" Lotz asked.

No, 911 is for emergencies. Do what Ridgewood's Cathy Eastman did: Complain!

Cathy, who once worked for the Ridgewood school district, wasn't having a good day when she saw snow atop car roofs in her hometown. But it wasn't the worst day of her life. That was the day in 1996 when her husband, Michael, was killed after flying ice smashed through his windshield. So Cathy wrote letters reminding the schools superintendent and the police chief of this grisly fact. That led each of them to remind employees about the new rooftop snow law, which is now enforced in Ridgewood. Cathy also took her case to her current employer, Hackensack University Medical Center, whose 8,000 employees can review this statute — 39:4-77.1 — on the HUMC website.

Some towns don't need activists to push them. In Elmwood Park, Patrolman Mike Prelich issued a summons to a school bus driver. "Nobody's exempt," said Chief Ingrasselino.

Right, assuming police enforce snow laws, some of which are rarely enforced.

"I notice a lot of snow plowed in parking lots of supermarkets and department stores end up in handicapped spaces," said an unhappy Al Gonzalez of Leonia.

If lot owners don't clear handicapped spaces 24 hours after a storm, police can issue tickets that yield $200 to $500 fines.

Then there are snowed-in fire hydrants, which darken the days of Frank Marinaro "Nobody cleans them," said the Little Ferry reader.

Not so, insisted North Hudson Deputy Fire Chief Charles Thomas. "We clean them after each storm," Thomas said. "It could be disastrous if we didn't."

And what about the snow that a reader saw last week atop a North Hudson Fire SUV?

"We do the best we can," Thomas said.

Everybody, it seems, is having a dark day — except my friend Barry Rigberg, who brightened my Tuesday with his response to the government's recent "travel warning" to carry cold-weather gear, including a shovel, blankets, extra clothing, rock salt, a flashlight, batteries, a first-aid kit, booster cables and a 24-hour food supply.

"I looked like an idiot on the bus this morning!" Barry said.

Cheer up, everybody. On dark days, Punxsutawney Phil can't see his shadow.

Road Warrior runs Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. E-mail cichowski@northjersey.com. Blog: http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/roadwarrior.

 

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