Lets see. the website you posted states that the apts house 1800 kids, lets figure 1/2 have cars (900) and half of those need to be moved every time it snows (450)

Would you wanna make 400+ calls / knocks on doors everytime it snows ?

 

I grew up in Buffalo, and lived in apartments there. I also had a lot of friends who lived in apartments. Plowing in Buffalo is something that needs to happen several times a day sometimes.

This is how it works. The guy shows up and plows. If your car is in the way, he plows around it. He comes back every few hours - 6 to 8, maybe as many as 10. This gives people time to move their cars. If they don't move their cars, then they end up with a big snowpile around them from the plow. This way, the parking lots get cleared for everyone but the people who don't move their cars.

Why would this system not work in this case?

 

I have a couple friends around here who plow. What Andy just described is how it happens here. Except, they usually don't go back.

Jason

 

I'm not saying that at all.

I'm saying that one must think about what could happen and be prepared for it.
Most plowing companies I know of do Store parking lots at night and apartment block parking lots during the day.
The Manager of the apartment erects signs at driveways stating the lot will be plowed on such and such day and time so please make sure your vehicle is not in the way.

IMO, it is up to the residents and apartment manager to coordinate to the best of everyones aptitude to facilitate easy manouvering of the smow removal.

This can be done thru communication between each other and the actual physical motion of tenants when the time is decided to plow the lot.

Communication is so important.

 

100% Right on! I wish they would do more than go around and put little pieces of paper on peoples door. Granted when people dont rip them down they work. We recieved the first two or three notices no problem and had our vehicles moved by the time stated on the sheet. This time no sheet, we had no idea. I think as a solution they should just post signs up at the entrances of the parking lots a day or two before they plow listing the times the lot will be plowed. As Jake00 stated 1800 kids. Whats easier 1800 paper notices and the time spent putting them up on every door, or 25 signs 1 or 2 at each entrance. If they did that we wouldnt have a problem. That or either spend a little more money and get more expensive re-usable signs that you just write the times on, and erase them with some solvent and use them again and again.

Yeah, its much easier shuffling 400 vehicles around with tow trucks. Oh, wait, they probably make $10 bucks off of each vehicle, thats $4,000 each time it snows. That probably pays for plowing. It wouldnt surprise me if they intentionally "forgot" to put up notices for that very reason. Thats why it gets me when they do this.

I went and looked at the lots at the apartment i'm going to lease next year. You could actually see blacktop. There were a few cars you could tell that they just plowed around instead of towing them. So thats a good sign. Most of the lots were pretty well clear. You could tell that they had plowed at least twice, once per snow storm. Next apt will have a garage too! I will get 800 Sq Ft for 700 bucks/month (including a garage) as opposed to 410sq ft for $560 Per month plus towing expenses.

 

The city crews clear the roads first. They leave a big pile of heavy snow in the entrance to your driveway. The plow guy has to get all that out of the driveway so you can go to work in the morning. If you pay more, he has helpers to clear your steps.

When the people are gone to work, the plow guy comes back to clear the rest of the snow and pass salt.

If people are getting stuck in the entrance, then he's not coming round at all. You have to clear the entrance so people can move their cars out, before you can come back and clear the rest of the parking lot.

 

Thanks for the links, i'm actually going to send a complaint to the attorney general