Journal Editorial: Let’s plow the streets – together

Winter in South Dakota isn’t known for subtlety. When the snow comes, it comes with purpose – drifting, piling, and settling into every corner of our community. And every year, as predictably as the first flurries, we brace ourselves for the other inevitable snowfall: the avalanche of complaints on local social media pages.

But here’s a thought for this season: What if we all agreed to make winter just a little easier on each other?

The City of Brandon’s snow removal crews are some of the first people awake when the forecast turns white. Long before most of us have brewed that first cup of coffee, they’re out in the dark, plowing, sanding, and making sure the roads are safe for school buses, commuters, emergency vehicles, and every one of us who wants to get to work on time. They battle the elements with a limited staff, a tight window, and equipment that doesn’t magically fix itself when a hydraulic line snaps in subzero temperatures.

And yet, year after year, those plows meet their worst obstacle not in the storm – but in us.

Cars left sitting on the street after three inches of accumulation don’t just inconvenience the crews. They block plows from fully clearing the curb, force drivers to swing wide, leave ridges of compacted snow, and create the very conditions we often grumble about. That isn’t a city problem. That’s a community problem.

The good news is it has a simple fix: When three inches of snow is in the forecast or has fallen, simply move your vehicles off of the street.

Yes, it’s a small inconvenience. Yes, sometimes it means braving the cold or shuffling cars in a driveway that’s already tight. But doing so allows the city to clear the streets efficiently the first time, instead of returning for time-consuming rework or leaving behind the dreaded snow berm that lasts until April.

And when we do our part, something else happens – complaints go down. Support goes up. Instead of the same familiar cycle of frustration on social media, we get to see something far better: neighbors helping neighbors, updates instead of outbursts, and appreciation for the teams doing the work most of us would never volunteer to do ourselves.

Snow removal isn’t the city’s job alone. It’s a shared effort between the people who run the plows and the people who benefit from them. If we want cleaner streets, better winter driving, and fewer posts that start with “Why didn’t the city…,” the solution begins in our own driveways.

Let’s give the snow crews room to work. Let’s give each other a break. And this winter, let’s try supporting the city as much as we expect the city to support us.

Because a community that makes room for the plows is a community that clears the way for each other.