Author's note: Multiple questions regarding the City of Laramie's snow removal policy have come into the Ask the City inbox. To avoid redundancy, we have put them together in this post.

Question 1: Why isn't the city plowing the end of the streets where the ruts are deep due to the snowfall? It makes driving on the streets very hazardous.

Question 2: I noticed that the city snow and ice removal policy makes no mention of bicycle lanes, regardless of whether they are on main arteries or collector streets. Is there any plan to put in place policies regarding snow removal from bike lanes?

Question 3: Why won't the city fund plowing the side streets in Laramie? Every neighborhood becomes impossible to navigate in large amounts of snow.

Answer:

"The city's snow removal policy can be viewed at the city's website by clicking this link. This policy is established by the city council and is reviewed on a regular basis.

In developing the snow removal policy, consideration is given first and foremost to the safety of the public. The safe flow of traffic must be maintained on major arterial and access streets and intersections, emergency routes, as well as in areas of traffic and pedestrian congestion, such as school zones. The city council also considers and weighs heavily comments from the public, staff input, labor and equipment resources, and currently available budget, as well as future budget outlook. The availability of on-street parking is also a consideration, but is secondary to the overarching goal of ensuring public safety. Furthermore, policy development considers plowing methods that are realistic regarding available labor and equipment resources within the constraints of the council's adopted budget.

A downturn in the Wyoming energy economy has translated into declines in revenue to the state and local governments. The city's 2017 fiscal year budget saw a decline of over $2 million to the general fund, in which the Street Division is a division. The reality of enhancing snow removal operations with currently available resources is unlikely.

City staff will continue to do the best job possible with available resources as outlined in the snow removal policy to combat the snowstorms brought to us by Mother Nature. We appreciate the patience of the community and will continue to look for ways to be proactive and more efficient in daily operations."

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