READING, Pa. – Reading City Council at its Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday discussed a proposal to revise the city’s snow emergency plan, which received less-than-favorable feedback from the city’s public works director.

Up for consideration is a proposed requirement for vehicles to be removed from the streets designated as snow emergency routes whenever 3 or more inches of snow are predicted.

The idea would be to allow the city to plow the streets curb to curb.

Kyle Zeiber, director of public works, did not favor the proposed change.

“We do have some trepidation with this proposal, and we see some potential issues with the plowing or the snow removal from curb to curb during the storm,” Zeiber said. “We’re not sure what your end game is out of this.”

“I’m wondering why you want to change the ordinance so that we have to plow curb to curb when there’s 3 inches of snow,” he said. 

City Clerk Linda Kelleher explained the topic stems from last winter’s snowstorm.

“There was a prediction of a large snow event, and we started doing the no-parking on the snow routes and then you kind of went about it systematically, block by block, and council was completely blown away with how fabulous places like North 13th Street looked,” Kelleher said. “It made such a huge difference without those snow bunkers on those busy streets, where there’s normally parking stress every day.”

Zeiber said the idea of having to plow curb to curb would create havoc with public works to move cars and coordinate with police to tow cars just to plow 3 inches of snow.

“That’s not, in our opinion, in the best interest of the residents,” Zeiber added. 

“If we were to concentrate on snow emergency routes going curb to curb, there’s going to be streets and side streets that don’t get touched for long periods of time because we’re going to spend an inordinate amount of time clearing snow on the snow emergency routes,” Zeiber said.

Council President Donna Reed said Zeiber’s concerns are why council wanted to meet with public works before any action would be taken to move the proposed ordinance forward.

“We’re very open to everything,” Reed said. “This is simply a draft. And again, talking about it now is so much better than waiting, which is what has happened over the years.” 

“Were policymakers,” Reed added. “We’re not out there doing the work that you’re doing, which is why we want to have these kinds of conversations — not to override you – but to find out how we can work best together to help us all and help the populace.”

Zeiber also addressed the project last winter when snow was removed and hauled away, clearing main streets curb to curb.

“Our main focus when it’s snowing is plowing,” Zeiber said. “It’s not removing snow. That’s a secondary thought.”

“We’ve got to keep everything open throughout the city; big streets and small streets,” he said. “Then we step back and assess where we’re at and if the accumulation is that great that we have mounds of snow along the parked cars in the corners, then we start moving into a snow removal operation.”

“I don’t believe this needs to be revised,” Zeiber concluded. “I don’t feel that it is in the best interest or safety of our citizens. With 3 inches of snow, I think it’s going to be more problem than if we just left it the way it is now.” 

Truck restrictions

In another matter, council reviewed a proposed ordinance to be voted upon next Monday.

The proposed ordinance would amend the city code to restrict truck traffic on the following streets:

400 and 500 blocks of Pansy Street.

On River Road, between the Route 12 interchange to the Muhlenberg Township boundary.

On Bingaman Street, between South Seventh Street and South Eighth Street.

The ordinance would also increase the fine to $150 from the current penalty of $25.