Denver Snow Removal 2009 - 2010

Sidewalks

We depend on the partnership of our citizens when it comes to snow removal in the Mile High City. Denver Public Works will do our part by removing snow from our main streets and we need you to do your part by removing snow from the walkways surrounding your residence or business. Denver requires property owners to clear their walkways so that EVERYONE has safe access throughout the City! Senior citizens, people with disabilities, parents with strollers, and mail carriers -just to name a few -struggle to negotiate hazardous walkways…we need to do our part to make our community safe and accessible for all.

• Homeowners: Once snow has stopped falling, residences have twenty-four (24) hours to remove snow from public sidewalks adjacent to their property.
• Businesses: Once snow has stopped falling, businesses have four (4) to remove snow from public sidewalks adjacent to their property.
• Never shovel snow into the street.
• Report A Problem: Please contact Denver 3-1-1 to provide the address of unshoveled sidewalks.
• Enforcement: Denver performs proactive inspections in business districts, and we rely on citizen complaints to help us identify those property owners that need to be educated about sidewalk safety requirements.

The vast majority of people comply with the first sidewalk safety notice issued by the City. In the rare instances where a property owner refuses to comply, Denver takes escalating legal action, which can include issuing an Administrative Citation that carries a $150 penalty. Denver manages 3,000 sidewalk safety cases a year.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: Why did the plow push snow onto my sidewalk?

While pushing snow onto sidewalks by our plows doesn’t happen very often, we are truly sorry when it does. We all know how absolutely critical it is that our streets are cleared of snow for safety and accessibility purposes, and that is the top priority of Denver’s heavy snow plows. Pushing snow onto sidewalks and driveways is an unfortunate consequence of plowing any street. We don’t have a policy addressing plows pushing snow onto sidewalks because it wouldn’t be realistic to expect that of our operators. We do, however, expect them to be conscientious in their work while recognizing their goal of clearing the street of snow.

Please know that we are constantly providing our drivers with feedback on their performance and ways to minimize the occurrence of snow on sidewalks. It is also important to remember that residential properties have 24 hours after the snow has fallen to clear walkways, and businesses have four hours after snow has fallen to clear walkways.

Snow Removal on City-Owned Property

Denver Parks + Recreation performs snow removal on park property and select sidewalks, such as bridges and underpasses within the City. During normal snowfall, the snow will be removed as usual, including around recreation centers. Recreation Centers will also be plowed and shoveled for Saturday and Sunday hours as needed.

Trash & Recycling During Snow Season

To keep your trash and recycling service running smoothly during snow season, follow our easy “Do’s” and “Don’ts” below:

• DO shovel a path to your recycling cart and trash barrel
• DO keep these containers off patches of ice for safety
• DO make sure recycling carts and trash barrels are clear of snow
• DO put your cart and trash barrel as far in the street as possible – not behind snow banks
• DO leave a 4’ space on either side of your barrel and recycling cart allowing easy access by our trucks automated arms.
• DON’T – use cardboard boxes as a trash container. This is always a “Don’t” no matter what the weather conditions.
• DON'T pile snow beside dumpsters.

Snow Removal Fleet

• 68 plows heavy plows
• Seven motor graders
• Four loaders
• The motor graders and loaders are deployed to areas where snow tends to drift on the road, creating tall drifts that plows can’t remove; they address streets where ice is packed and needs to be broken up; they can be used to clear on-street parking after the roads are addressed. Motor graders do the heavy work and the loaders remove the snow or ice from the road.
• An additional four loaders at camps to load materials into the plows.

Routes

• Main streets are the priority for Public Works and our largest plows
• Most main streets have stripes – that’s a good way to identify them
• These are the streets that carry most of the city’s traffic as well as emergency vehicles and public transportation.
• We also plow around schools each morning and afternoon to provide safe zones for school children whenever possible.

“SNOW ROUTES”

There will no longer be additional parking restrictions on “Snow Routes” – just follow the posted parking rules, even during the worst storms. If your car is parked legally, you will not receive a ticket