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Scuka1 t1_j2avnai wrote

Vehicle-mounted snow plows for roads.

For sidewalks, citizens. There are laws that require everybody to shovel snow in front of their house and make it walkable.

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LoubyAnnoyed t1_j2ddds5 wrote

On this, where does that snow go? I’m trying to imagine shoveling snow in somewhere like Brooklyn. What space are you moving that snow to?

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doowgad1 t1_j2avvvs wrote

I live in New York. Property owner is responsible to clear their own driveway and provide a path on the sidewalk. Dept. of Sanitation goes on alert if a heavy snow storm is predicted. Sanitation folks make big overtime when there are storms. Snowplows, salt spreaders , and other equipment is on hand. They work until the snow is cleared. Regular sanitation pickups sometimes suffer, but everything eventually gets cleared away.

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Moskau50 t1_j2avwwj wrote

Snow removal is a constant challenge in major cities. Sometimes it gets dumped into a nearby river, or gets trucked to an unused or underutilized parking lot or similar space.

If you're so snowed in that your door won't open (which is unlikely, but possible), you can open a window and climb out that way. But inward-opening doors are a ready-made solution to this, as you can always open the door inward and then start shoveling from the landing.

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tmahfan117 t1_j2axzxm wrote

You open the door and try to push it out.

And then the normal snow plows with the big wedges on the front exist, but many cities that get heavy snowfall also have things like industrial sized snow blowers (like the thing you see people push in their driveway, but the size of a Big truck.

As well as plain old construction equipment, front end loafers, etc.

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smapdiagesix t1_j2bx7po wrote

You mean like recently here in metro Buffalo?

Snowplows (mounted on dump trucks) push the snow to the sides of the road. Front-loaders scoop up snow and either put it into dump trucks or dump it on the side of the road. In situations like this past storm, add in tow trucks and forklifts moving cars that were stuck in the road and abandoned, but that's not usually needed.

As for digging out at home, if you can open your door, then you start digging there. Remember to throw the snow up and over the snow blocking the exit. If you can't open your door, maybe you can open a different door or go out a window. Worst case, you gotta hope you have a friendly neighbor who can help you get free.

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Zbignich t1_j2b2k8w wrote

Some cities plow and load the snow onto trucks that take it to some unused area where it melts.

IIRC Toronto melts its snow and the water goes into underground storm sewers.

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greatvaluemeeseeks t1_j2b6o4b wrote

Yeah, but the snow accumulates when it stays below freezing all winter. I remember when I lived in Alaska working on an Air Force base; plows and snow removal trucks would pile up the snow all along the side of the taxi ways. By the end of winter it would be over 15 feet tall and wouldn't melt until the middle of spring. They'd also dump literal tons of salt weekly until they found that it attracted moose. There was so much salt it killed off enormous patches of grass. Don't cities that have to constantly salt the roads have to deal with the ecological effects of dumping all that salt that eventually makes it up streams and waterways? I get they plow it off the streets but if it snows for 2 or 3 days straight, most people underestimate the enormous amount of snow that generates, especially if it stays frozen; where do they store it all?

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AHumbleLibertarian t1_j2bee67 wrote

In my experience (Midwest US) the city usually piles snow up the side of streets, and eventually the city might load the snow into a dump truck for disposal in a field or parking lot.

You mention salt and its ecological consequences. Farming communities hate using salt, so they use dirt, sand, or gravel instead. The goal being that cars still get traction, but don't destroy farmland on the outskirts of town.

Usually when we see snow for 2 or 3 days straight, we clear 1 lane on the street and move onto the next before coming back and clearing anymore snow that fell. Its not all that uncommon that some areas will get plowed once per day so that plows can spend more time on the main streets.

When snow does freeze, we just drive on top of it. I would say my suburb street is burued under 4" of heavily compressed snow and ice right now. We won't see blacktop until early April for sure.

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