My area(Hampton Roads VA) got 6-7" of snow on saturday, as,I'm sure. the rest of the folks on here did. Here's the difference: My town (Norfolk) has 7 snowplows. That's right, SEVEN! to serve a city of 200,000 people. VDOT has a policy that they don't offer help to residential areas until their main job, interstates are cleared completely. That should be about Tuesday.
I was in P.G.County MD for the 2 feet of snow that fell just before christmas. The county plowed the residential street in front of my parents house once during the storm, again the following morning, and again about 6 hours later. By the afternoon of the day after the snow fell, I was able to drive back to Norfolk VA with no problems at all.
My street hasn't been plowed yet, and I doubt that it ever will be. we're expecting rain on Tuesday, and that'll clean the street. The main "Snow Emergency Route" that my neighborhood empties into is currently a lane and a half each way plowed down to about an inch of what became ice as soon as the sun fell.
A recommendation was made several years ago to our city council to purchase plows that could be attached to the 45 dump and stake body trucks that the city already owns. It quietly died. I guess it's cheaper for the city to just close all of the schools and give all city government workers (Including themselves) a snow day.
I feel you on that rant...even here in Montgomery County, there are neighborhoods that don't get touched for a few day afterward...my current street gets hit right away since I am right off a snow emergency route...so I'm thankful....much different than other neighborhoods I've lived at in the past.....maybe they need to consider doing what Frederick County,MD does in terms of subcontracting out to independant plowers to get their direct areas under contract done when it comes down...
im surprised you have any govt owned plows down there...
I feel your pain. The cross street to me gets plowed, but mine doesn't usually get plowed at all if it's under 6". As of yesterday, still no plow for me and we're expecting more snow (1-3") rather than the rain that they're forecasting down your way.
I'm in Silver Spring. We never get plowed if the snow is "too much." I have yet to figure out what too much is.....I think it has to do with road priority and follow-on weather conditions. Until Saturday, I hadn't seen a plow yet this winter, I live on a steep hill, and we have had quite a bit of snow (well at least for here). It is actually quite amusing how many people get stuck on my hill. Apparently my house is at that exact point on the hill where traction and momentum run out.
We did get a plow late Saturday night, like 1:30am. I suspect it was because of a 3 hour long traffic jam on the major street just down the hill that caused a bunch of folks to try and escape up my street. Never heard so many econo-boxes completely wrapped out and sliding backwards!
I'm in Silly String too - my understanding is Mont. Co. blew the budget because of the size of the last storm. Heard it's the same in other parts. Can't spend money they don't have by sending out plows, but can afford to "lose" money by canceling things I guess (of course maybe they're stiffing the bus drivers, etc. when they cancel so they save there too).
Quote from: Tocino on February 01, 2010, 06:46:20 AM
I'm in Silly String too - my understanding is Mont. Co. blew the budget because of the size of the last storm. Heard it's the same in other parts. Can't spend money they don't have by sending out plows, but can afford to "lose" money by canceling things I guess (of course maybe they're stiffing the bus drivers, etc. when they cancel so they save there too).
I forgot you're in my hood. Nice Guzzi on that other thread.
End of thread jack......
they could cover many stones by putting plow blades on the front of the transit buses!
Quote from: zooom on February 01, 2010, 07:15:11 AM
they could cover many stones by putting plow blades on the front of the transit buses!
With their driving skills? I can only imagine the carnage!
Quote from: angler on February 01, 2010, 07:24:35 AM
With their driving skills? I can only imagine the carnage!
you just gotta handicap them as far as the carnage....1 person for every 20 miles of driving while plowing is the acceptable limit....
The county plows ya'll out!!!
A bunch of farmers keep my roud clear with their tractors and plows and blowers. Maybe there should be more farmers where you live.
I think MoCo got smart this time and subbed some plowing out.....a landscape truck plowed my street yesterday. My buddy in Fredneck is on the snow plow sub crew. They bill $165 per truck, he is happy when it snows.
Quote from: rgramjet on February 01, 2010, 12:27:32 PM
They bill $165 per truck, he is happy when it snows.
Then this upcoming weekend may make him happier!
crap - I'd better go get TP and milk........
Quote from: angler on February 02, 2010, 08:56:49 AM
crap - I'd better go get TP and milk........
YOU MEAN....you don't have loads of leftover from the last metric ton you freakishly and feverishly bought before the last storm?...my god!....what to do?!?!?!?!
LOL...J/K!
Quote from: zooom on February 02, 2010, 10:29:32 AM
YOU MEAN....you don't have loads of leftover from the last metric ton you freakishly and feverishly bought before the last storm?...my god!....what to do?!?!?!?!
LOL...J/K!
Precisely my joke!
Forget the TP and Milk. That stuff's always available. It's the booze you wanna be stocking up on.
WTOP had a call in this morning on the talk-back line asking what was the 1 thing you would require to stock up on for a snowed in weekend...and the 1st caller I heard said "Beer for the snow and superbowl"...granted he sounded like the Budweiser variety of drinker-but the sentiment was very agreeable!
One guy this morning said he wanted beer but he needed to get some wine for his wife so she would be quiet. [wine] [laugh]
I've got 700+ boxes of girl scout cookies plus all the fixing for several meals in the slow cooker and chocolate hazlenut baklava just waiting to be made....
Beverages are all handled too! [drink]
Quote from: dolci on February 05, 2010, 05:41:09 AM
've got 700+ boxes of girl scout cookies plus all the fixing for several meals in the slow cooker and chocolate hazlenut baklava just waiting to be made....
Beverages are all handled too!
What time should we all be by?
Helpful tips: http://snowpocalypsedc.com (http://snowpocalypsedc.com)
Quote from: Tocino on February 05, 2010, 05:52:02 AM
What time should we all be by?
We both live close......
[popcorn]
Make that "All Three Of Us!"!
Sunny and about 78 degrees here in Naples Florida today. [evil]
I left yesterday. I don't care if they never plow my street.
Being me-it doesn't suck.
I missed last weekend and the rant. I was down in New Smyrna Beach riding one of the Vics and celebrating my sisters Bday, looks like I made a mistake should have stayed another week. Man is this stuff wet, I have already shoveled around my hot rod truck and path to the house, it is heavy stuff. Might want to get out now and do some, cause by moning you are going to have trouble moving that stuff, let alone lifting it. - Gene
I plowed in front of my house and driveway until midnight last night. This morning I couldnt get my atv 1/4 of the way up my street.......grrrr! Cabin fever's kicking in.
We lost power late Friday and just got it back on again (3:30pm Sunday). Gas hot water and gas stove made it livable. Spent all day yesterday digging and then removing downed limbs so the plows could get through. Plow came this morning and I spent all morning digging and helping dig out older neighbors.
The power company or the county needs to catch up on tree trimming. I lose power all the time and heavy snow like this wipes us out.
Just about every maple on the street looked like this one. While we were cutting this one out of the street, a limb this size dropped inches from the front of my jeep, right where I had been shoveling not long before. You could hear limbs popping and cracking everywhere and it was still snowing.
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs183.snc3/19071_1316026111151_1545666740_800986_7226707_n.jpg)
Street shot last night
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs163.snc3/19071_1316026311156_1545666740_800989_4048988_n.jpg)
It was really wet snow. Thanks to the tip from Twolanefun, I got the first 8" of heavy wet stuff up before I lost power Friday night....
Plowed my entire street (1/3 mile long and uphill) with the atv....no sign of plows and the power has been out for over 24 hours.....Kawasaki Brute Force 750 is one tough friggin machine!
Called my Sister, she has never been in snow, told her and my Brother-in-law to load up the ATV, put a plow on it and come on up, they were not amused. Late today, after I dug the hot rod truck out and cleaned it off, our cleanup crew arrived with one of those mini front loaders and F-350 with plow they made quick work of the street and parking lot, the piles must be 10' high, ought to melt by May. I did make one mistake though I have the ST3 at home, should have put it in the storage unit with the other bikes. She is all cleaned off and covered - just pains me to see her sitting out in all that winter though. I was also shocked to discover that the Hot Rod Truck was able to make it up the hill, must be all the weight from the snow in the bed, cause that 345HP V8 will light up the tires at the slightest hint of anything except prefectly dry pavement. - Gene
I keep hearing about this hot rod truck....how about a pic?
Strange I only have one that I could find, not very good, better if it was in the sun, the paint reacts to temp. (http://forums.thevmc.com/bb/photos/get-photo.asp?photoid=9201) - Gene
Winchester, VA
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Misc/20100206_BigSnow14_Trav.jpg?t=1265604289)
HOLY SHIT! I'm leaving Hawaii for this? ;)
Come on in......the water's fine.
I was pushin my snowblower several times this go round at Dolci's place and at mine and this ain't so easy.....but the 3-6 inches comin in Tuesday night/Wednesday should be easy in comparo!!!
Yeah well, now they are calling for a min of 5" - good times to come
Looks like it's time to start looking into that Jeep idea again...
Quote from: DRKWNG on February 08, 2010, 05:22:28 AM
Looks like it's time to start looking into that Jeep idea again...
My Subaru Baja has been quite the champ in all this!
Quote from: zooom on February 08, 2010, 05:28:41 AM
My Subaru Baja has been quite the champ in all this!
I'm sure it has. The one thing that keeps pointing me back to the jeep is so I would have a vehicle that could tow a bike to a track (something I haven't had access to in the last three years) and still go top-down with when the weather allows. I am really going to miss having a convertible once the S2000 goes away.
So I got a call early this morning from a neighbor telling me I missed a spot at the top of my hill and a regular car wont be able to make it through.....I just about reached through the phone. Instead I told him that my truck should have no problem whatsoever, click.
Quote from: DRKWNG on February 08, 2010, 05:34:35 AM
I'm sure it has. The one thing that keeps pointing me back to the jeep is so I would have a vehicle that could tow a bike to a track (something I haven't had access to in the last three years) and still go top-down with when the weather allows. I am really going to miss having a convertible once the S2000 goes away.
the Baja, while not a convertible, is quite capable (and mine has done so many times) at pulling a small utility trailer with 2 bikes and track gear on it with no problem!
Quote from: rgramjet on February 08, 2010, 05:49:31 AM
So I got a call early this morning from a neighbor telling me I missed a spot at the top of my hill and a regular car wont be able to make it through.....I just about reached through the phone. Instead I told him that my truck should have no problem whatsoever, click.
Here is what you do to bummer neighbors! http://www.snopes.com/photos/risque/ventcover.asp (http://www.snopes.com/photos/risque/ventcover.asp)
I got a bottle of prosecco and some bread pudding for helping my neighbors dig out. It is really amazing to watch people get completely overwhelmed with volume of shoveling. Saw a lot of folks just staring at their cars and shaking their heads. Glad I dug out yesterday. It is just getting icier and icier with more on the way!
I ran my blower up the neighbor's walkway to be kind and nice and the last go round I did his driveway for him...his dad came down and thanked me bigtime and that was all I needed...acknowledgement and appreciation...sure it took me a couple extra minutes...beats the quadruple time he woulda spent with a shovel otherwise...
I gotta give mad props to Montgomery Co. - they did a great job on my street and the streets around. Neighbors and I were all standing in wonder, because we are usually the last. Not sure if it was just my area or not.
D.C. was pretty bad when i took my g.f. home yesterday. Seems most of the "plowing" done was just from people driving around. I'd heard that at some time in the past the plow contractors wanted payment up front because the District was really bad + late with paying them for previous jobs, so maybe some thing?
Gene, I think you need to fill the bed of your truck with beer and drive around so we can all, uh, check out the motor in that baby!
Yeah, 5-10 inches tomorrow does not sounds good. Quarry House will be open - they were Friday and Saturday night, and on Friday the joint was about the only place open, and it was full.
i've had about enough of this shit
we are supposed to fly out to Cali on Wednesday and I am afraid we'll be stuck. Our street wasn't plowed at all, one of the neighbors in his 4x4 dragged a railroad tie chained to his bumper down the street.. (good old bubba engineering). it knocked down the powder quite a bit and made it so cars can carefully get out.
we may go to a hotel near dulles tomorrow if it looks so-so. if it looks bad.. well. fugit.
Quote from: Tocino on February 08, 2010, 09:32:10 AM
I gotta give mad props to Montgomery Co. - they did a great job on my street and the streets around. Neighbors and I were all standing in wonder, because we are usually the last. Not sure if it was just my area or not.
+1
When I woke up on Saturday, there was a front end loader clearing the street behind me. I ran him down and he said he couldn't do my street because there were trees down. So we got out and cut all the trees down. He was gone by the time we were done cutting, but a plow came bright and early on Sunday.
If the neighbors hadn't pitched in to help me get the wood out, we wouldn't have been plowed and PEPCO wouldn't have been able to get in to get the power back yesterday afternoon.
Im in Severn MD, about 5iles south of BWI. We got 36" with the first storm and 19" with the second. We had a backhoe with a front loader on it clearing the streets during both storms. Of course Im in Stowe VT on Vacation missing all of the fun down there. We almost got snowed in, but my Dakoda made it out.
Fenty can suck it! I made the mistake of trying to take the GF out to dinner in the district on Friday night and the city is a mess. We spent more than 3 hours round trip in the car to get to Dupont Circle. Nothing was plowed except for some of the major streets, and those were missing lanes. Most normal 6 lane thoroughfares were down to two lanes. All side streets were icy messes. Are bobcats illegal in DC? Do they understand the principle of snow removal? Obviously not.....
It was like driving in Mexico - nobody was paying attention to lights or one way signs or anything. Total free for all. Seriously, Fenty should be fired for this. He had almost a week with no gov't or university traffic downtown and could never get in front of the snow while most Montgomery county roads are plowed curb to curb.
Our subdiv was plowed well EXCEPT for our street. They plowed once and then everyone with 4x4s drove on it and packed it down -- and it turned to ice. It was murder.
of course, we left for LA yesterday and it's 75 degrees and sunny here. Goddam California.
Quote from: ducatiz on February 15, 2010, 06:55:50 AM
Our subdiv was plowed well EXCEPT for our street. They plowed once and then everyone with 4x4s drove on it and packed it down -- and it turned to ice. It was murder.
of course, we left for LA yesterday and it's 75 degrees and sunny here. Goddam California.
;D
what i hate is in my townhouse complex the visitor spots, people park their cars there, usually homewoners and withe the storm then move their cars to a visitor spot that is shoveled out and don't even shovel out their old spots well, so basically they do minimal work to get their car out and leave that visitior spot like crap.
lazy ass peop0le, i hate them, then i have to shovel out a spot for a visitior of mine so that someone gets an easy spot later on. people are so lazy isn't even funny and these are townhome owners that do this all the time.
Yep bunch of lazy folks out there, would understand it if they were elderly. I am just amazed at the attitude of some poeple, not the America I grew up in for sure. I'm also amazed at how people younger than me complain about the hurst and pains from shoveling, geez I mean I'm - never mind let's just say I creeping up there, anyway I don't have those issues maye a little sore but you'd think these people had soveled a city street or something. - Gene
I live in the district now and had little or no problem getting around. I think Mayor Fenty and the VA / MD state and local governments should get a bit of a pass. They deployed all of the resources available and worked around the clock with the priority placed on public safety. Consider the fact that no deaths occured on local roadways that can be directly attributed to the conditions.
Some would argue DC, MD and VA should invest in more resources to be better prepared (okay then we would have another topic to rant about - higher and higher taxes). Others might argue the weather was forecasted well in advance and our government officials should have borrowed resources from other states. The problem is just about the entire region had to deal with record snowfall too and didn't have resources to share.
I've spent time living in the mid-west (St. Louis, Chicago, etc.) and those cities are much better equipped /resourced for large snowfall events. From my experience the streets and sidewalks were in no better condition for several days to a week after getting similar amounts snowfall as we received the last couple weeks. In fact, I remember driving on snow packed roads for weeks upon weeks after such major snow events. My problem is not with the government's handling of the situation, rather how we, the citizens, handled it (hoarding groceries, not shoveling sidewalks in front of homes, complaining and blaming others for mother nature's recent acts). I would argue we need to have reasonable expectations given the unusual circumstances of record snowfall.
Finally, I'm thankful my family and friends, including fellow CAM members, successfully weathered the storm(s) and are safe. Peace.
//tb
It thoroughly amazed me at how unprepared people are. I had neighbors, with gas fireplaces abandoning their homes after the first day of no power........the stores were horrible.
And
Next street over from me is a dead end. Only way to get out is uphill. A douchebag that lives 1/2way up the street did a great job of shoveling out his car but mounded all the snow in the middle of the street!
Somehow the plow on my atv malfunctioned and pushed the majority of the snow up tight against his car. oopsy..
Quote from: jetpuff716 on February 16, 2010, 08:33:29 AM
I live in the district now and had little or no problem getting around. I think Mayor Fenty and the VA / MD state and local governments should get a bit of a pass.
//tb
Montgomery County, at least the parts I've driven, look great and looked great a couple of days after the storm. There are still places in the district that are a complete mess - like never plowed. I am willing to give MC major props - fastest plowed street I have ever seen, power only off for 36 hours, etc.
I'll reiterate that Fenty can suck it. He did a horrible job all while talking about how good of a job he was doing. Bullshit.
I've live many places that handled snow better because they got more snow. Unless this type of winter becomes a more regular occurrence, I don't think DC needs to invest in better equipment, they just need to learn how to run a freakin' plow and take advantage of almost a week of gov't shut down to get rid of snow and cars. Their first mistake was not staying on top of towing on snow emergency routes. That led to sloppy plowing and major loss of lanes on all main thoroughfares. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose - armchair governing and all that. I would be willing to bet that DC businesses lost more Valentines Day revenue, particularly restaurants, because of the lack of plowing and the subsequent traffic disaster than Fenty would have spent to do a better job of snow removal. VD is one the restaurant sectors biggest days and with it falling on a weekend it should have been a huge weekend. It was not because nobody was going to drive into the district for anything.
I'll also add the USPS can suck it. I haven't had mail delivery since the 5th......
Quote from: twolanefun on February 15, 2010, 01:08:13 PM
Yep bunch of lazy folks out there, would understand it if they were elderly. I am just amazed at the attitude of some poeple, not the America I grew up in for sure. I'm also amazed at how people younger than me complain about the hurst and pains from shoveling, geez I mean I'm - never mind let's just say I creeping up there, anyway I don't have those issues maye a little sore but you'd think these people had soveled a city street or something. - Gene
exactly, but the funny thing is these aren't handicapped/elderly/frail people doing this. these are all able bodied male and female 20-45 year olds, why do i know they are fit and able bodied? because they just shoveled out 30 inches of snow from their own driveways and walkways just like i did.
I would uderstand if they were handicapped/elderly/physically unable to do this, but they just proved to me that they can do it. if they would ask for help i would actually help them out if they needed it. wtf?
yeah shoveling snow sucks, i hate it more than anyone but this may be one of the only reasons why you want to keep an active lifestyle and fit throughout the year so that stuff like this literally and figuratively doesn't kill you.
rant over, i'm going to go shovel out a space tomorrow to let off some steam. amazingly, i actually do that and it helps. [laugh] [laugh]
Quote from: rgramjet on February 16, 2010, 08:37:07 AM
It thoroughly amazed me at how unprepared people are. I had neighbors, with gas fireplaces abandoning their homes after the first day of no power........the stores were horrible.
And
Next street over from me is a dead end. Only way to get out is uphill. A douchebag that lives 1/2way up the street did a great job of shoveling out his car but mounded all the snow in the middle of the street!
Somehow the plow on my atv malfunctioned and pushed the majority of the snow up tight against his car. oopsy..
don't even get me started on the people that pile the snow from their driveways up in teh middle of the street.. wtf?
what are they thinking? the magic snow shovel fairy will magically make the snow go away? how the heck do you drive up the street when people literlally throw all their snow in it so that now you have a nice icy hard packed slippery surface that you put there because you were lazy with shoveling your own driveway?
but that was funny, i like how the atv malfunctioned.
geez.. ok my rant is over. lol.
In the spirit of all the idiots around here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/16/AR2010021605666.html?wprss=rss_metro/va (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/16/AR2010021605666.html?wprss=rss_metro/va)
Some guy assaults a good samaritan with his vehicle........