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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-01-26, Page 5v A Day In The Life Of... Snowplow operator enjoys keeping roads driveable on stormy days ...A Snowplow Operator By Scott Hllgendorff Expositor Editor He doesn't aim for mail boxes. avoids showering - pedestrians with snow and even feels bad when he fills in a driveway that's just been shoveled open. This is Rob Rodgcrs' 14th winter plowing snow and. unlike a lot of drivers, doesn't mind travelling the winter roads_ I enjoy -plowing. a lot of snow. It's challenging. It's 'always more fun when there's more snow." the Auburn area man said. . His route takes him from the Huron County patrol v and •-inAuburn to Walton. through Seaforth to Kippen and back. several times a sbift when the area is getting lots of snow., "The longer you're at it the easier it is.' he said of driving in whiteout' conditions when other drivers are. being told to stay off the roads. • "The stormy-days.put an edge on your nerves..You have to he paying attention . • all the time" he said. adding he enjoys the challenge of trying to stay ahead of the falling.and drifting snow to keep the roads open and driveable. ' -When a bad storm hits,- he -said it's a good feeling to know he's out there making sure emergency vehicles can get through. - Rodgcrs' round trip is 100 km. The trip from Auburn to - Kippen is done strictly with a plow. seeing him average • about 60 km an hour in good -weather. The trip back, Rodgers drops 'sand .and salt as well as plowing and - averages about 40 km/hour, Both are speeds that frustrate drivers following the plow but even in good weather. he • advises people take care -if they think they have to pass him. "I've seen enough people end ' up in the ditch_." he said. People might think • the road isn't too bad until they get past him and realize it was more slippery or snowcovercd than they thought. "If you're going to pass; .you want to make sure the way is good. It's a lot safer for everybody." he said. • When the. weather is had. he said it's much safer if people just stay behind him. He said more drivers end up in the ditch at the start of the winter when they forget they need to slow down. "i've seen a few people go by and. a short time later. sec . them in the ditch," he said. Once. a car with sonic young people in it passed him .when .he was salting black ice. As 'they got in front of his plow. he saw the car turn sideways and slide into the ditch. The tear and young people . weren't hurt and Rodgers helped pull them out before carrying on his route. He's also •radioed in to the patrol yard to report a few cars in the ditch when he's seen the accidents happen. Every season he said. "You can always figure there'll be a few." With the exception of some poor passers. Rodgers said most drivers arc good about sharing the .road with the plow. On the trip back to Auburn. he usually rides as 'close to the centre line as he can so salt and sand reach both sides of the road and most drivers give him extra room to move. S coif Hilgendorff photos Snowplow operator Rob Rodgers warns people to fake care when passing the plows. The Auburn area operator has been plowing the Auburn to Kippen county roods for the post 10 years and has been on,county highways for the past 14 winters. it's usually when -they don't realize he needs the extra room that a mail box or' sign gets taken out •by'the blade. - • That'll happen on.a trip when they've caught up to the snowdrifts and arc plowing the snow back from the shoulders. Instead of giving him his full lane when they pass, the drivers will stay partially in the same lane • with Rodgers. When he comes town obstacle and has a car beside him he said. "Guess who loses --the. mail box or sign or whatever gets in thc way." He said snowplow. drivers do' their . hesf to avoid mailboxes but sometimes have no 'choice but to hit one rather than • - risk • clipping, a passing car. When it happcns'to seniors or someone who can't -put' their mailbox hack up and they know about it. Rodgers said. "Generally. the guys will go out .and fix it hack. up." He's learned a lot about winter driving on the route. and knows a few tricks now that help him make it easier Quoted 'I've seen a few people go by and a short time later, seen them in the ditch,' -- Rob Rodgers, Huron County snowplow operator when thc weather gets worse. The route is familiar enough that he can pick out certain landmarks to help orient himself when whiteouts come and go and he can even sense the slope of the pavement. He uses that sense to let him know when he's crossing the centre line and. if he's scraping gravel,, he knows he's hit the shoulder. The two can help him stay on the road in whiteouts. "To panic is the worse thing you can do." he said of being a total whiteout. Even if the wind isn't causing whiteouts it can blow the snow off his blade back. at the windshield. making itr difficult to see. The county operates with two shifts: 4 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and f:30 p.m. to I I p.m. The weather conditions affect how many trips the plows will take but if there is 'a storm or freezing rain. the plows get called out beyond the normal shifts. During those shifts. Rodgers not only has learned the lay of the land but a lot about how unpredictable Huron County weather can be. ` "From our most northerly. patrol in Wroxeter to our most southerly patrol in• Zurich. it can be snowing in 'one part and sunny in the other." he said. "It's amazing 'how the conditions can change in just a few miles." C at II I= SIMMS NEW LOCATION 16 KING ST. CLINTON, ONT. NOM ILO BALANCE WE ar REFUND TAX PRRPAR/MO ( mere tOuxar AND EASY. 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