I got this e-mail tonight from the City:

Update as of 9:00 p.m.: City crews are currently plowing primary routes, and will in/out plow on secondary routes. With warming temperatures expected, and in order to conserve salt, crews will not plow/salt all residential streets. Snow fall rates vary throughout the city, therefore work will be limited.

I’m not crazy about this policy. I’ll withhold judgment for a couple days to see how it works out, but I’m concerned that this could potentially be treacherous for neighborhood streets. Yes, it’s forecasted to warm up tomorrow, but if the streets were plowed, that would mean that the sun would likely dry up the streets. Instead, the sun is going to melt or partially melt the snow cover on the streets, and then it’s going to freeze overnight the next night. That means the streets could be slick and uneven. Plus, what if the weather forecast is wrong? It’s been known to happen.

What do you think of this policy? Should the city be saving money by not plowing residential streets in anticipation of “warming temperatures”?