PHOTOS: Enforcement, Towing on Tap for Vehicles in Snow Emergency Routes after Last Week’s Snow

A full week after the Jan 25 heavy snowfall, Greenwich residents continue to dig their way out of a foot of snow. Of course the piles are higher for people excavating cars parked on the streets where snow plows cleared traffic lanes only to create tall snow banks.

On his Friday morning radio call-in show on WGCH First Selectman Fred Camillo said feedback about the town clean-up effort should be directed to his office, not to Facebook.

In his Friday eblast, Camillo said, “If you see an unclear sidewalk in front of a home or business, you can call the non-emergency number of the Greenwich Police Department at 203-622-8006.”

He said crews had worked Thursday night to remove snow from Greenwich Avenue, which had been reduced to a single lane for several days.

“We want people to make sure that when there’s snow, that do their duty and shovel the walks in front of their houses,” he said.

He said he’d been surprised himself that there were some businesses that failed to shovel their sidewalks.

“What’s happening is people are walking in the streets. In this case in Riverside and Old Greenwich were walking along the Post Road, because there was no place to walk on the sidewalk.”

By Town ordinance, Greenwich property owners are required to be responsible for keeping all sidewalks along their property clear of snow and ice.

According to the CT Judicial Branch website, the Town of Greenwich and the owner of a downtown mixed use building are being sued by a resident who slipped and fell, injuring himself in December 2024, alleging a dangerous and defective condition consisting of a wet and slippery sidewalk resulted from permitting the accumulation of ice.

Camillo put a reminder in his weekly e-blast about the prohibition of cars from parking on snow emergency routes during a declared snow emergency.

Last week’s snow emergency was the second this winter.  The first snow emergency was was the day after Christmas, and was lifted on the 27th.

Last week’s snow emergency started Jan 26 at 12:01 am and was lifted at 2:00pm.

“Be patient please because I know our DPW did such a great job with it. They always do. Of course there’s 67 square miles, but people run to Facebook and say, ‘My street wasn’t done, or ‘My neighbor didn’t shovel their path,’ Or they were demanding cars be towed. I have to explain to people – It’s snowing. It’s freezing. We only have so many people there. You couldn’t have every car towed if you wanted to, because you couldn’t get the tow trucks out there.”

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Camillo said enforcement was set to pick up, and fair warning had been given.

“We had some complaints especially on the western side of town where people just ignored (the snow emergency regulations). Tickets are going out,” he said.

On Friday, Hamilton Avenue, an emergency snow route, was posted with bright orange signs saying, “No Parking. Immediate towing enforced. Snow removal Feb 2 and Feb 3.”

“If you see that happening, drop me or DPW or GPD a note and we’ll get on it, but running to Facebook and complaining is not helpful,” he said.

In Greenwich the town is storing snow in parking lots, including Grass Island.

Hot Tubs to Melt Snow?

In New York City, which also got a foot of snow, the city Sanitation Dept deployed snow melters they call hot tubs, though the water inside them is heated only to 38°.  They melt a half a ton of snow in seconds. Tons of snow remain, but the city operation will continue through the middle of February and the NYC Sanitation Department is working around the clock.

The eight snow melting machines in New York City are Trecan Combustion 60-PD Snowmelters. They were deployed to strategic locations in the city where lines of dump trucks arrived with loads of gray crusty mounds to be melted.

In Greenwich, on Facebook, residents have indeed been venting frustration all week, especially in Byram and Chickahominy.

Of course the plow operators are not to blame. They worked long overnight shifts in below freezing temps

Commenters on Facebook said the situation on Tuesday and Wednesday was unacceptable and questioned if there was a shortage of manpower, equipment, or budget.

On Tuesday, as schools resumed following the snow day on Monday, one commenter posted on Greenwich Connections, “Hillside Road at GHS is dangerous right now. Northbound traffic (single lane) *must* cross the double yellow bc there isn’t enough room for a vehicle on the northbound side.”

A photo posted Wednesday morning of a crossing guard in the roadway elicited numerous comments including one on Jan 31 saying, “This is what I was told by someone who works for DPW. Tell them obviously their best isn’t good enough… They need to address the fact of why the foreman micro manages everything instead of just letting the assigned truck and driver stay in the assigned section… And train them better. Yes there is a lot of cars in Byram and it was a lot of snow but the way it was left is unacceptable….Complain to Jim Michel …he’s head of DPW.”

“A school crossing guard  Did you see the intersection at New Lebanon? Families climbing over snow banks in the road.”

On Tuesday: “The narrow one lane on Hillside Rd from the Post Rd is even narrower . Every one needs to be careful by GHS. It was always a head on accident waiting to happen but now it’s worse. Be careful.”

Technically, East / West Putnam Avenue is a state-owned roadway – U.S. Route 1 – with primary responsibility for snow removal on the travel lanes falling to the Connecticut Dept of Transportation. However, Connecticut General Statutes Title 13A. Highways and Bridges § 13a-107 (Selectmen to open highway blocked with snow) creates a dual layer of responsibility for town selectmen in extreme circumstances.