CINCINNATI — Public services drivers demoed Cincinnati's new snowplow tracker system on Wednesday during a training session outside of the Dunham Recreation Complex.
The launch of the platform means discontinuing paper maps, which drivers used in past storms to keep track of progress. The new tracker will provide real-time updates to residents during future weather events.
"It's way better than the old school, just maps, and you're looking at your map and it's dark, you know, trying to turn your light on," Chris Huntsberry, who was training drivers, said. "It's a very nice system."
WATCH: Take a first look at the new snowplow tracker system and what it means for you
The system will help snowplow drivers navigate their routes during snow events. Using a tablet, those drivers will document their progress on snow-filled roads. The new tech will document where snowplows have been and what treatments have been done to each road.
The different treatments are color-coded on the system map, allowing residents to easily find the current conditions of nearby streets. Conditions include:
- Untreated: Street has not received service yet
- Pretreatment: Driver has applied a liquid salt brine before the storm to prevent snow and ice buildup
- Salted: Driver has spread rock salt to help melt snow and ice
- Plowed: Driver has removed snow from the right-of-way
- Salted and plowed: Driver has removed snow from the right-of-way and spread rock salt to help melt snow and ice
- Problem: Crews encountered an issue preventing treatment
"I presume that had we had this in January—while we would have had issues with the fact that there was a lot of snow—we wouldn't have had issues with the fact that the snow lingered on the ground for so long afterwards," Councilman Seth Walsh said.
Walsh has advocated for improvements to the city's snow fleet since the fallout from Winter Storm Blair in January.
"It sounds like, from everything that I'm hearing, that we finally have the proactive approach," he said. "We can't stop Mother Nature, but we can't be ready for when Mother Nature comes."
The training also included a navigation course, which simulated challenging road conditions snowplow drivers may encounter, including dead-end streets, double-parked cars, fire hydrants, cul-de-sacs and more.
