Snow Information

30.18  SNOW AND ICE STORM POLICY

(A) The following is intended to address snow and ice response procedures as well as providing a few safety tips to follow when driving in winter weather.

(B) The goal of the Village of Shiloh is to provide snow and ice response in a timely and cost-efficient manner. During ice or snow conditions, the village applies de-icer and plows snow . There are two phases for ice and snow response: (1) when snow or ice conditions exist, salt is applied based on public safety needs, starting with the steep sloping streets and intersections; and (2) depending on the pavement conditions and forecast, snow plowing will likely commence when three inches of snow accumulates. It is a standard practice to avoid salting either flat roads or in newer subdivisions as repeated salting of concrete leads to deterioration of that material.

(C) Conditions such as blowing snow , continual freezing rain, accumulation, forecast conditions, or the need to assist with high priority state or county roadways vary for each snow and ice event. Accordingly, some streets or classes of streets may not be treated. Snow and ice response goals are set primarily to afford public safety crews the ability to provide emergency services. General travel, commerce and individual convenience issues take a lower priority and are not always able to be accommodated. An ongoing assessment is made during snow and ice removal operations regarding when to discontinue removal operations.

(D) Priority rankings are as follows:

1. Emergency vehicle access.
2. Roadway surfaces serving village and federal facilities.
3. Major intersections.
4. Secondary arterial connectors.
5. Subdivision through streets

(E) Residents can help crews clear the streets more quickly by practicing a few simple suggestions:

1. Don’t drive if you don’t have to.
2. Drive safely and have appropriate tires on your vehicle. Do not drive until you have properly cleared windows of obstructions, and replaced worn windshield wipers.
3. Park your car off-street whenever you can. During snowfall or when snow is predicted, it is especially important to remove all vehicles from the street to allow the operation of snow removal equipment.
4. Make sure that basketball goals and other obstructions are not placed in or adjacent to the street. They pose a hazard to snow plowing crews and to the traveling public.
5. Do not push or place snow in front of a neighbor’s property or on top of storm drains.
6. Do not plow snow into travel lanes or leave snow on sidewalks or in street gutters. Keep your street gutter clean for drainage; don’t cause ponding of snow melt that can turn into ice.
7. Clean snow from around fire hydrants and be careful you do not block the hydrants when you shovel snow .
8. Owners of private parking lots are responsible for removing their own snow . Do not expect village crews to pick up piles of snow pushed onto the street from private parking lots. The snow pile could remain for an extended period causing potential safety hazards and the possibility of liability for the property owner.

(F) (1) Property owners are responsible for clearing their driveway approaches and around mailboxes. Snow plowing operations may inconvenience property owners when snow is plowed in front of driveways or by mailboxes. You may have already shoveled your driveway and cleared a path to the street making it necessary for you to re-shovel the end of your blocked driveway. While we apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you, please understand that it is impossible to efficiently and effectively plow the streets and avoid the ends of already cleared driveways. We cannot respond to requests to clear driveways or mailboxes; our priority is keeping roads open for emergency service providers. However, residents with medical conditions should notify Village Hall at 618-632-1022 if they need any emergency assistance.

(2) Be patient; snow response takes time. It is possible that not every street in the village will get plowed.

(G) To keep your loved ones and others safe on the road during this holiday season, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and IDOT recommends that you remember the three P’s:

(1) Prepare for the trip. Before departing on your trip, thoroughly check your vehicle to make sure that it’s in proper working order. Is there good tread on your tires? Is your battery in good shape? Do you have plenty of no-freeze washer fluid and antifreeze? You should also make sure that your vehicle contains the following items that are useful in an emergency: a cell phone, a flashlight, jumper cables, a shovel, road flares, blankets, kitty litter or sand, and a snow scraper.

(a) Thoroughly plan your route by familiarizing yourself with maps and directions. You should also check weather reports and inform others of your route and expected arrival time. For specific road conditions in Illinois and surrounding states, call 800-452-4368.

(b) If you are stopped or stalled, stay with your car, don’t over exert yourself, place a bright marker on the antenna, and run your car just long enough to remove the chill.

(2) Protect yourself and your loved ones. Everyone in the vehicle should buckle up, and proper child safety restraints should be utilized. The safest place for all children under 12 years of age is in the back seat of the vehicle. Never place a rear-facing child safety seat in front of an air-bag.

(3) Prevent crashes. Crashes are easy to prevent if you follow simple safety tips. Slow down and increase your following distance, keep an eye open for pedestrians, get plenty of rest to avoid fatigue, and stop every three hours to rotate drivers.

(H) The safety of our residents and their loved ones is very important to the village and by working together we can make sure that everyone remains safe.