Quality of snow removal Detroit suburbs? (Royal Oak, Wayne: 2014, living, cost of living)

[EddieOlSkool]

I am from Chicago. I will be relocating to Royal Oak. Here in Chi we are used to great snow removal most of the time. I know Detroit sucks with that, but what about its burbs? Is it every man for himself when the snow hits??

P.S. How are the winters in Detroit compared to Chicago? We average 37 inches a year.

[animatedmartian]

Snow removal in the burbs is pretty good although this past winter crews kind of struggled to keep up. Main roads are done first with side streets usually done later.

I would say it snows about the same as it does in Chicago and maybe even a little less but not by much. The lake effect doesn't really affect this side of the state too heavily compared to near Lake Michigan.

[zthatzmanz28]

We just had 96 inches this year. Probably not your ordinary snow. We tend to be between 24 and 38 inches most winters.
Not sure what "great" snow removal is, but in the burbs of Detroit chances are you will be driving through the first 3-5 inches before the plows roll. Side streets? Depends on the city.

[leroythelion]

Compared to Chicago, snow removal is very poor. The various DOTs have a sickness that prevents them from plowing or salting the on and off ramps from the highway. You'll get used to it. Just stay out of the snowed-covered left lane as you will likely get run over by some DB late for work and driving at dangerous speeds until such a time as he loses control of his vehicle and winds up in the median facing the wrong way.

[EddieOlSkool]

Ummm, great! Maybe Pittsburgh it is...

[DTWflyer]

I would not base your decision on snow removal, especially based on the 2013-2014 winter in Southeastern Michigan. We just got through a record-breaking winter of snow and cold. We got 96" of snow, when the seasonal average is 35-40" More than double the typical snow and extreme cold particulary in January and February.

Winter Detroit is NORMALLY very similar to Chicago both in terms of snow and cold. This year Detroit did get a lot more snow than Chicago because of the jet stream and flow of storms, but many years its similar. The Detroit area does not get the lake-effect snow like areas of western and northern Michigan along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Snow removal in the suburbs is generally okay. With budget cutbacks in recent years, it seems that many places are taking the approach of just waiting until the storms ends to do any significant plowing and lettting go in the midst of the storm. It seems that a lot of times when snow hits in the evening, or on a weekend they pretty much wait until early morning hours to go and attack the roads before the morning rush.

I currently live in Royal Oak and I was impressed with the snow removal this winter. Much better than many of the other surrounding suburbs. Main roads were always done quickly. They got to the sidestreets within about 24 hours.

[belleislerunner]

If you would base a moving decision based on snow removal - which happens 10 days out of 365 - there are deeper issues that need resolving.

[EddieOlSkool]

Why is this a problem, belleislerunner?

I have the same job offer in Pittsburgh that I do in Royal Oak. Same company, same pay. After other factors like crime, climate, and cost of living are taken into account, Pittsburgh and the Detroit suburbs are quite similar. So that leaves something as asinine as this to consider. Why? Because if the cities are THAT similar, I would choose the one with one less inconvenience. That, and my job is a job that pays by the hour. So if something like a big snow storm happens, I lose money.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

I've noticed that Oakland County tends to do a better job of removing snow from the county roads than Wayne.

Most cities do a good job with the side streets. However, keep in mind that Townships do not have their own plows and rely on the county plows, which typically means they are at the bottom of the list.

[jackmichigan]

Snow removal in the Detroit Metro area must be great--I drove around a lot yesterday and didn't see any snow!