‘Snow rage’: Kelowna’s snow removal team shouldn’t have to put up with aggressive residents

Most people have been in the situation where you’re just about to finish shovelling the driveway and a plow pushes a wall of snow in front of it. Some people decide to take their frustration out on the snow removal operators in Kelowna, they even have a term for it, snow rage.

The city just saw its first proper snowfall of the season so Kelowna’s snow removal operators are getting geared up to clear the streets, and the City of Kelowna’s road operations manager Andrew Schwerdtfeger said people should remember that snow removal workers are trying to make their lives easier. 

“Internally we call snow rage, similar to road rage. We usually see it pop up in late January, February where people are just fed up with winter and we get back to back snow events,” Schwerdtfeger told iNFOnewsca said. 

The public works department in charge of snow removal gets some pretty nasty phone calls on top of regular complaints, but sometimes people lash out at plow drivers in person.

“They start seeing our operators and the bright yellow flashing lights and they become the target,” he said. 

“Unfortunately we have had several incidents of rage against our operators and some pretty egregious scenes. What I would say is, similar to road rage, if you feel yourself experiencing that, maybe take a step back, put the shovel down, go inside.” 

Most roads get two or three passes so if you’re out shovelling your driveway when the plows are coming by, be prepared for it to come around again. 

“We’re not out there trying to make your lives worse. We’re trying to make your commute better,” Schwerdtfeger said.

“I appreciate it does have an impact on the property, or the right of way adjacent to your property, but that’s just the nature of living in BC.”

There are also cases where people are fed up following a snow plow, sand truck or a vehicle spraying calcium chloride, that’s the chemical you might see on the roads before a big snowfall. 

“Everybody’s in a rush to get somewhere, we all appreciate that,” he said. “When people are driving close or trying to move around them, they’re putting themselves at risk more than the operator, because generally if you’re competing with a 50,000-pound truck in a 5,000-pound F-150, that’s not a fight you’re usually going to win.”

The City of Kelowna isn’t responsible for plowing Highway 97 or Highway 33, that’s under the Ministry of Transportation’s jurisdiction, so complaining to the city’s public works department won’t make a difference getting those roads plowed.

People who want to make life easier for snow removal workers can park their car in their driveway, shovel their driveway onto the yard instead of the road and give operators space to clear snow and put sand or salt on the road.

“Drive to the conditions, equip your vehicle properly, and take your time when you are commuting,” Schwerdtfeger said.