Letter: Plow drivers need to do better
To the community,
My wife and I have been residents in Tahoma since 2001. For the last several years the snow removal/plow has done a questionable job of clearing our street. They do a fine job of either plowing us in or plowing us out of our driveway.
The plows have a drop gate that prevents snow build up in the opening to our drive. It is a simple technique that does not seem to be used. I personally went down to the yard where the plows are stored and spoke to several gentleman to discuss my concerns. I was told that they “always” drop the gate. Well I can tell you that every time it snows, I need to get my snow plow out and remove up to 4 feet of snow. (Tuesday) after the plow went down the street, I checked to see if the gate had been dropped. No way!
I had to get my plow out and clear my drive opening. And if we have been out of town and return, we need to park in the street and plow away the “wall of snow” before I can enter my drive. If this happens at 12 midnight, it leaves a bad taste.
These employees are paid from our tax dollars and it seems that they would try to do everything to make the homeowners appreciate them rather than resent them. It is part of their job duties and responsibilities.
John High, Tahoma
Placer County may be having problems, but our guys in El Dorado County do a great job.
Be thankful you live in a beautiful location.. You should have lived in Tahoma before the many dirt roads were paved and the plow service was less frequent. Or try Kings Beach where they did (and still do) not use a grader (with a gate); rather, just a front-end loader with a front plow. When faced with narrowing roads and no where for the snow to be pushed, a huge volume of snow was deposited in our driveway (every time). And we did not have a plow or a snowblower. You live in the mountains and conditions can be tough at times. Stop your whining!
WHINING isn’t the issue. I agree that with the volume of snow it is more difficult to disburse it away from driveways but agree an honest attempt should be made as advertised with the gate function.
The 2-lane roundabouts in Truckee were down to one lane January 2 because plows couldn’t even get there due to the volume of travelers trying to get on to I-80.
Drivers also need to be more sensitive when the slushy mushy snow is 2-5 inches and not speed creating additional issues for nearby drivers.
The drivers NEED more training on the machines…those plows are hard to operate!!!
It seems that all the experienced drivers that knew the area have been replaced by CHEAPER help!
EXPIERENCE doesn’t come cheap and you all know that