Since mid-December we’ve seen our fair share of snowfall – from dustings to six inches of snow. We would like to commend our State, County, Town and Village road crews on both sides of the river for the dedication and time they put in to making sure our roads are safe for travelling during these treacherous conditions, especially in the wee hours of the morning.

If you are travelling behind a snowplow, please make sure to give them plenty of space in case they have to stop or turn. These trucks are out in the worst of conditions and while the road behind them is fine, they are driving on roads that still need to be treated and plowed.

We’d also like to remind store owners, residents, and our municipalities  on both sides of the river to keep their sidewalks clean. Unshoveled sidewalks can force pedestrians into the roadways just to stay off the ice and slick snow. This creates a hazard not just for drivers but pedestrians as well, especially when it comes to our children and the elderly.

Also, it is important to have a walkway in the growing snowbanks that line our Main Streets for pedestrians to reach the sidewalk. On a recent shopping trip in Sullivan County, we noticed shoppers having to jump over snowbanks to get to their cars. This certainly cannot be good in attracting repeat business.

Also, if you see someone walking on the road because the sidewalk is unsafe, please exercise caution as this is definitely not the season to go speeding by. It is better to stop – if the pedestrian is in your lane – and let oncoming traffic go by before maneuvering around this person.

With the prediction for warmer temperatures this weekend, we hope some of our clogged sidewalks and snowbanks will get a little smaller. However, if you’re not present to clean your sidewalk, then please hire someone to do the job.

We also realize how strenuous shoveling can be, so please go slow, take breaks if necessary and don’t overdress to avoid overheating.

This winter, contrary to what many predicted, seems to be settling in for a long haul, so the better we prepare the better off we will be.

We know that some travelling is a necessity, but the more time we give our  road crews to tend to the roads during a snowstorm, the better our travelling will be. If you don’t have to be out, don’t try to. If you must go out before the roads are tended, then excercise extreme caution.

Remember, slow and steady wins the race when snow comes down onto your path.