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Winter weather brings the fine art of the snow plough operators careening all around the city limits and country miles of roadways, so very different and such a superior system as well, compared to what we knew living in the west.
The huge trucks are much larger, and can perform multiple tasks at one time. We've observed them use a bucket to push snow to the edges of the road; subsequently a blower just behind the snow formations at the bucket end sucks up all of it into a huge blower system and blasts it all outward to ten or more feet off the shoulder sides of the roadways. We've seen joggers coming towards a main roadway and run backwards when noticing a snowplough coming. At first it looked funny to see them run, then we were able to see just how far that machine spit out the snow barely missing them quite a way away back down the street they originally came from.
Next an oscillating spreader system below the vehicle spreads salt, and a smaller spreader at the tail end offers a bit of sand, though we have seen more salt these days than sand on the roads. Although all the salt isn't good for the vehicle itself, I feel very confident driving around after a snow fall when I notice them around here, even in the countryside. That means the main roads are already clear and safe, so off I tootle to play taxi when necessary.
All the salt used here does amazing things for "instant" melting of those scary slick icy patches, offering sensible safety for all transportation traveling within the area. The other day I had a carwash to rid the vehicle of the salt powders, and then shortly later while traveling home again, this is what the van looked like once more.
