The Simple Trick To Keep Snowplows From Blocking Your Driveway

Ah yes, the joys of finally clearing all the snow from your driveway. A momentous achievement! Then the snowplow comes along and unceremoniously deposits a massive mound of snow and ice chunks at the edge of the driveway, making your efforts seem in vain, and blocking you in. You can repeat the Sisyphean task endlessly, or stop the cycle of fresh snowplow snow in your driveway once and for all. It all comes down to a conscientious effort on your part, as far as where you deposit the snow you clear. Consider it one of those hacks that make snow removal easier than ever, along with using the right kind of shovel. 

It's pretty basic: If you clear the area to the left of your driveway on the shoulder or street, less plowed snow ends up back in front of your driveway. And if you create snow piles to the right side of your driveway (as viewed from your front door), out of the path of the plow, that snow can't end up back in the street to block your driveway, or your neighbor's. It'll also give the snowplow a place to deposit snow as it rolls its way off the plow blade and onto your property. In addition, if you're doing this as the snow falls, repeated passes by a plow don't have as much snow to pile up. It's another reason why the best time to start clearing snow is while it's still falling, rather than waiting for a full day's worth of snow. Whatever does pile back up will be less, and less grueling.

In the U.S., a snowplow typically drives down the street on the right side of the road, clearing snow as close as it can get to curbs and lawns. As it does this, snow rows off the plow blade, away from the center of the road, and onto the shoulder, or even across your driveway's apron. The more snow that's in the street leading up to your house, including piles from earlier snowfalls, the higher the berms you'll need to shovel. Save yourself the hassle by clearing some of that street snow before the plow arrives. If your area typically receives multiple snowfalls before the previous ones melt, use yard markers to make your snow-clearing boundaries more visible.

Once you've cleared the driveway apron, work your way onto the shoulder to your left, as you're facing the street. Shovel that snow out of the road, working past your driveway and depositing it on your lawn out of the snowplow's throw zone (pro tip: clear the area around your mailbox, making it easier for the plow operator to avoid). When there's les snow in the areas leading up to your driveway, there's less for the plow to deposit on your driveway. 

If people park on the street, plows need to work around parked cars, leading to even more snow deposited on driveways, or blocking parked cars. Use the same approach: Clear any pile from the front and sides of the cars to your left, or it will end up in front of your driveway. If a plow does deposit a little snow in front of your driveway, tackle it as soon as possible, because that snow easily turns to a mound of ice that are hard to chop through and drive over, making for some unwanted hard labor.