Angry shoveller chases snowplow after cleared driveway filled back in
FREDERICTON — They’re calling it a case of shovel rage.
City officials say a Fredericton homeowner frustrated when a plow operator dumped a load of snow at the end of his driveway chased the loader up his suburban street, swinging his shovel.
Mike Walker, manager of roadway operations for Fredericton, told a city committee Tuesday about the Feb. 13 incident.
He says the homeowner was shovelling his driveway during a blizzard that dumped as much as 80 centimetres on the city.
Walker says he understands the man’s frustration, but while residents often make complaints he has never seen anyone chase after a plow before.
The plow operator told the man he was just doing his job, and moved on. Walker says Fredericton’s $2.3 million snow-clearing budget doesn’t allow for a level of service that would clear windrows from driveways after plows pass.