Why Are Most Roads Still Barely Passable? (Manassas, Franconia: HOA, neighborhood)

[blu_monk]

Why waste time and money clearing roads when you know more snow is coming? Buckle down and find something to do at home and wait it out.

It's not going to kill you, and it should make you realize how lucky you are to have the option to go wherever you want and whenever you want.

* hits OFF button *

[normie]

I like the idea of hitting the off button--but before I hit mine, I want to end by saying I hope the people who haven't seen plows yet are serviced as soon as possible. It's very frustrating when you're the last to be plowed out. We will get through this, but in the meantime it's maddening to be stuck in the snow.

Hits "OFF" button! (I like that!)

[SteelCityRising]

I maintain it's just frustrating that many roads were cleared right down to the pavement at the drop of a hat while many other roads were still treacherous up until now, as the flakes start to increase in intensity from the NEXT storm. I don't understand the reluctance of people to pay higher taxes in Virginia to get decent services in return. I would pay more! Either pony up the moolah to get better services or stop whining that the schools and Feds keep closing because the roads are still as awful as they are due to the scarcity of plows and salt. Last check the roads I referenced earlier are still caked in slush and snow. Why? A recent check of the Washington Post shows tons of private sector people whining that the Feds are closing again for tomorrow. Have any of these people SEEN the road conditions in many areas as of late? Obviously Virginia was very ill-prepared to handle wintry weather and sorely underestimated their budget. I maintain that I COULD walk a mile to an alternative work-site and work tomorrow---I technically could have worked any of the past several days by doing so. The problem? I'm in the 1% of Federal workers who could potentially walk to work.

[cdmurphy]

FYI...here's Saturday's press release from VDOT about what happens with their plowing:

As crews work ’round the clock to keep main roads passable, the Virginia Department of Transportation asks northern Virginia residents to be patient over the coming days. Crews must concentrate on interstates and primary roads first, and will then begin to make inroads into subdivisions. It will be Monday before crews begin to focus on subdivisions. It could take most of the week—especially with more snow expected Tuesday—to finish plowing neighborhoods in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties.
VDOT reminds residents of the following:

• The main, more heavily traveled roads in a subdivision will be plowed first, to be followed by low-volume roads and cul-de-sacs.
• Plows will make one or two trips to provide a path through neighborhood streets, but they will not clear to bare pavement or from curb to curb.
• Because chemicals are not used in subdivisions, roads will remain snowpacked and rutted after the plow has passed. Crews will put sand on hills, curves and intersections as needed to provide traction.
• If planning to shovel their driveways, residents should try to refrain from clearing the last few feet at the curb until your street is plowed, as plows may push snow back into driveways. It also helps to shovel to the right as you face the road.
• VDOT does not remove snow from sidewalks or trails.
• VDOT plow drivers have assigned routes that include each and every state-maintained road in northern Virginia.
• Call 911 if you have a medical emergency and need to leave your home.

If by Wednesday, residents have not seen a plow in their subdivision, they can call 703-383-VDOT or e-mail novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov with the location. Photos are also welcomed. Crews will be dispatched to treat missed spots and problem areas.

[Ashburnite]

My roads, both major and minor, have not been adequately - if at all - cleared in Loudoun County. There just aren't enough trucks to clear it all. The regular pickup trucks with plows cannot clear the packed ice so larger vehicles or construction equipment are required.

[NicoleJ]

they said on the news today that b/c so many people went out right after the storm, and packed the snow down, it iced over. They had to bring in ice crushers from NY and they only got a few, so it sounds like a lot of the responsibility lies w/ those selfish enough to drive when they were asked not to. I mean, the news reports have repeated said the crews are sleeping in their trucks w/ pillows and sleeping bags in order to get everything done, so it's not like they're sitting there twiddling their thumbs. They're exhausted.

I have to say, I was shocked today at the state of the roads in PWC. Here in Stafford County, the roads are almost all clear and de-iced, even most of the side streets around me.

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Thanks for the reinforcement. That's just what I do NOT understand. People were FLYING down Sunset Hills Road with nearly bone-dry pavement while people were still getting stuck on Village Road, Temporary Road, North Shore Drive, and every other road in the general Lake Anne/Tall Oaks/Charter Oak regions of the community. Just an hour ago I had to stop my car and push, along with a woman, a red Mercedes (rear-wheel drive) that couldn't maneuver up Temporary Road from North Shore Drive. How can they justify having SOME streets so impeccable you could breakdance on them while others haven't even been touched. North Shore Drive, Temporary Road, Village Road, etc. are NOT "minor" roads. They are vital roads for thousands of people, an elementary school, an elderly high-rise, and Lake Anne.

Why are people venturing out in cars that are obviously ill-equipped to drive under the conditions that exist? Case #1: One of my idiot neighbors abandoned his car Friday night at the end of my driveway. At 11:00p, with snow a foot or more deep, he decided to do a pizza run in a Camry. Case #2: As the plow was coming through our neighborhood Sunday, some yo-yo in a minivan followed the plow into the neighborhood and got stuck in the broken-up but still uncleared snow, trapping the snow plow at the end of a cul de sac. (Seven of us pushed him out.) Too many drivers are just stupid!

[Yankeesfan]

Then there are the people who have garages and driveways but leave their cars on the street to block the plows .

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

However, even I was fish-tailing and shimmying myself out of sticky situations on roads in and around North Shore Drive,...

That's a mental picture I didn't need! Shouldn't comments like that be in the Relationships area?

C'mon Scranny, you grew up in PA just like I did and know how to drive in this mess!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Workin_Hard

Why are people venturing out in cars that are obviously ill-equipped to drive under the conditions that exist? Case #1: One of my idiot neighbors abandoned his car Friday night at the end of my driveway. At 11:00p, with snow a foot or more deep, he decided to do a pizza run in a Camry. Case #2: As the plow was coming through our neighborhood Sunday, some yo-yo in a minivan followed the plow into the neighborhood and got stuck in the broken-up but still uncleared snow, trapping the snow plow at the end of a cul de sac. (Seven of us pushed him out.) Too many drivers are just stupid!

Oh I agree. Today was the first day I had ventured out at all because I had no reason otherwise to be on the roads and in the way of the road crews until my friend asked for a ride following the tow truck to the garage, and while I had difficulty with my sedan I still managed to never get "stuck." Many others were not so fortunate today. What has never ceased to amaze me are the idiots who are, for seemingly no reason at all, coming to a complete stop while going uphill. As I said I even had to turn around and try to find an alternate route earlier because an oncoming pick-up truck had apparently stopped on the hill near Lake Anne Elementary, and then a car trying to pass him in my lane also got stuck. The man in the Mercedes had a rear-wheel drive car that was low to the ground---also probably had no "real" reason to be out today. A woman whom I was following along North Shore Drive in a small Scion was doing literally 5 miles per hour the entire trek. When it came time for her to pull onto Moorings Drive, an unplowed side street with a slight incline, at that speed, she got a couple of feet off of North Shore Drive before she got stuck. Since I was immediately behind her I, too, got stuck, but I managed to wiggle my way free of the slush and zoom around her.

"People here aren't used to the snow" isn't a good excuse, either. NoVA gets at least SOME snow---even if it's just a few 2-4 inch storms---annually, no?

My main beef isn't "WAHHHHH!!!!" My gripe is that many of the major arteries in Reston were cleared down to the pavement, but then the crews just seemed to have stopped, leaving many other busy secondary roads uncleared. Now the new snow is coming on down atop that mess.