TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Toledo's Streets, Bridges and Harbor workers have been working daily to get leaves picked up throughout the city. But prepping your yard the right way can have a major impact on the issues that pop up.
"This time of year it is, especially after a weekend, people get out and rake and they put them out on the streets," said Dave Welch, Toledo's Streets, Bridges and Harbor Commissioner. "We ask people not to put them in the street until just before we get there."
But there's some areas that get more than their fair share of leaves.
"There's a lot of leaves in that area, especially west and south Toledo. We tell people, 'pay attention to when the leave signs come out, pay attention to the website, and when they get to a couple days before rake them out,'" Welch said.
But with excess leaves and eager residents, comes driving problems as some Old Orchard residents are raking their leaves out into the streets, turning a two-lane road into one lane.
"People want to be able to go where they need to go in a fast way, and not have those issues with the leaves," said Joshua Winzeler, a lifelong resident and University of Toledo student.
And the issues don't stop at driving, the amount of leaves on the roads are causing parking issues as well.
"It's just causing people to be driving through the streets to have to stop and wait for cars to pass by. It's causing issues with people being able to park outside their houses with the leaves being in the way," Winzeler said.
And it's not just their position on the streets, some Old Orchard residents have so many leaves they can create piles that stand three to four feet high.
While the city says people tend to rake over the weekends to get ready for pick-up during the week, they still need to keep in mind the rules of raking them over the curb and not into the street.
Welch also adds that people should not park over the leaves because the heat from the catalytic converter could cause the leaves and car to catch on fire. He also asks that residents keep leaves out of the storm drains because they can clog, especially when it rains.
The city will begin leaf pick-up for the Old Orchard area Tuesday, Nov. 10 and go through Friday, Nov. 13.
To find more information on the dos and don'ts of leaf pick-up along with the schedule, click here.
