Snow Business for Narrow Roads

Help Yourself, Your Neighbors, Your County

If you live on one of Arlington’s many narrow roadways, you should have received a postcard with tips heading into this winter. Residents on cul-de-sacs will want to pay particular attention as such roads are particularly tricky to clear during and after a big snowstorm.

Removing vehicles from on-street parking during a storm is the best course of action for a narrow road and really helps the plows(PDF, 126KB) .
Second best: coordinating with neighbors to park all residential vehicles on only one side of a narrow road.
When shoveling snow, keeping it out of the roadway will prevent all kinds of safety and cleanup trouble.

Following this simple advice will make life easier for you, your neighbors and the County while digging out from any snowstorm.

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In the Know in the Snow 2025

Meet Cecilia and Jayne, winners of the Department of Environmental Service's call to “predict the first big snow of the season,” an add-on to the “Name Arlington’s Plows” frenzy you may have heard about. Nine people actually predicted the snows of Jan. 6 but we only had two shovels, generously donated by the good folks at Twins Ace Hardware. Robust Canadian-made shovels. A random number generator played matchmaker.

Cecelia is a high school English teacher who actually worked with her classes to come up with names (yes, there was voting resulting in another submission of, yes, “Plowy McPlowface") and the big snow date forecast. Funny enough, Cecelia was stuck with just a broom to clear snow post-storm from her driveway--until the plastic handle broke. The snow gods have now been good to Cecelia.

Jayne lives so close to the County’s north salt dome that she considers herself an insider with a classic keenness for brine tanks. Jayne doesn’t remember her suggested plow name but college years in Rochester, NY, and winter hikes in Switzerland gave her a warm-cold feeling about Jan. 6, 2025. She calls her new shovel a significant upgrade.