Snowplow shows ‘no snowplows’ sign who’s boss
A snowplow driver cleared more than snow in one Montreal neighbourhood Saturday — it ran over and bent back a sign indicating “no snowplows.”
The humour, if not the irony, was lost on Côte des Neiges resident Carlos Rodriguez. He says the sign that was run over had been erected because plows meant to be used on sidewalks have instead cleared and often gouged lawns.
Some streets in this part of the neighbourhood known as Glenmount, adjacent to Mount Royal, don’t have sidewalks.
“A lot of neighbours have gone out and purchased and placed markers on the front of their lawns to mark where the grass begins and (curb) ends,” Rodriguez said, “because last winter, many of us had one-foot gouges in our lawn due to shabby driving by these snow-removal teams.”
Daniella Rohan, another Glenmount resident, said her lawn was repaired by a city worker in 2011. But after the first snowfall that fall, a snow clearer tore it up again, leaving a 45-centimetre-wide strip of damaged lawn the entire length of her property.
After knocking over the no snowplow sign Saturday, the snowplow lost its tread and stood idle for more than four hours, blocking a driveway while the driver sought help to repair it.
A Canadian Automobile Association flatbed truck finally came to pick up the plow around 2 p.m. Saturday.