POUGHKEEPSIE – As snow fell in Poughkeepsie on Friday night, the DPW plow crews worked diligently to keep the roadways open for motorists who needed to travel.  The hill section of Main Street between Market Street and the Hudson River is a route that receives extra attention from the plow drivers who work to prevent vehicles from getting stuck and clogging the road used by many Metro-North train passengers from the Poughkeepsie Train Station.

On Friday night, just after 8 p.m., the DPW had removed the snow on Main Street to the point where the pavement was visible.  That work was short-lived.

Minutes after the plow had passed, a maintenance worker from the fired up a snowblower to clean the sidewalk in front of the facility.  To do so, he launched the snow out into the roadway and onto the cars that were driving by.  The throwing of snow from sidewalks and properties onto roadways in Poughkeepsie is illegal, according to the city ordinances.

of the City Code says:

(a)  Snow and ice. Every owner or occupant of a house, building or lot of land situate in the City and every agent or such owner who owns real estate in, but does not reside in the City, and every person having charge of any unoccupied house, building or lot of land, church or public building in the City shall at all times during the season of frost and snow, keep the whole of the sidewalk in front of their respective houses, buildings or lots of land free from snow and ice, as aforesaid, and by reasons of the intensity of the frost, the said owner, occupant, agent or person in charge as aforesaid shall keep the sidewalks in front of their respective houses, buildings or lots strewn with ashes, sand or other material in such manner as to enable persons to walk thereon with safety.

(b)  Time limits for removal. Every owner or occupant of a house, building or lot of land in the City and every agent of such owner who owns real estate in but does not reside in the City and every person having charge of any unoccupied house, building or lot of land, church or public buildings in the City shall remove the snow from the entire sidewalk in front of their properties within 12 hours after any fall of snow occurring between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. or, if occurring between the hours of 8:00 p.m. in the evening and 8:00 a.m., then with 12 hours after the expiration of such periods.

(c) Deposits in streets, roads. It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, place or deposit or to assist others in the throwing, placing or depositing of any snow or ice in any public street, road or highway in the City, except that whenever the paved portion of the sidewalk extends to the curb, the owner of the abutting property, his employees or agents may throw, place or deposit, in the public street, road or highway adjacent thereto, the snow from the sidewalk area only within the same time limitations as are set forth in Subsection (b).


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