Indianapolis not activating private snowplows after 7+ inches of snow
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — You won’t see anything else like this motorized snow shovel on Indianapolis streets.
“It’s a little faster than the blower,” said Martin Logan.
Logan, a retired engineer, made it years ago. Some parts date back to 1968.
“Something we found at my mom’s farm. The neighbor had for several years. It’s still functioning,” Logan said.
That means less elbow-grease than the regular snow shovel Mary Pat Poskon and her neighbors use near 46th and Meridian streets.
“It’s a winter wonderland, and also as you can see, our streets are not plowed,” Poskon said Tuesday.
The Department of Public Works has 80 trucks out right now clearing snow off main and secondary roads.
“I wish we got more care over here than what we do. We make the best with what we’ve got,” said Steve Brown, of Indianapolis.
“We don’t worry about plowing. Our neighbors do the sidewalks and all that, so we’re good,” Poskon said.
The city’s website says residential streets are plowed by private contractors when more than 6 inches of snow falls.
The National Weather Service says official snow total for Indianapolis over the last two days is 7.6 inches. But the city is not calling the private plows into action.
“In the future, we are kind of rethinking what it looks like for our contractors and the Indy DPW’s relationship to take care of some of those residential streets in the future,” Ben Easley, a spokesperson for DPW, said Tuesday. “Specifically with our second-shift of Indy DPW operators and the new equipment that we’ve gotten recently.”
“The 6-inch rule is something we’ve relied on in the past. It’s always kind of interesting, especially if there’s like, two different storms in a row and all the other different factors that go into it. For example, if there’s going to be three days in a row after that of nice warm sun that might help with some of that kind of thing. So, that is the opportunity for us to take a look at in the New Year, what we’re looking to accomplish with residential streets.”
Neighbors on those residential streets like Poskon will keep helping each other, even if they need Logan’s unique machine.