PennDOT projects ignore bikes and pedestrians (Pittsburgh: lawyers, schools, taxes)

[erieguy]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

If we actually acted on safety, people would stay home and slow down. You mean "convenience" not "safety." The issue is whether you can drive across the bridge safely at 75 mph or 55 mph, not whether you can cross it safely at all. Trying to save that small amount of time, maybe 30 seconds, has gotten more people killed than all the snow that has ever fallen.

I'm sure more people haven't died going across a bridge than all the snow that has fallen. Thats just ridiculous rationalization to ride a bike.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by erieguy

Perhaps you should round up all the bikers and meet at the city-county building and share your concerns with the powers that be. Complaining here certainly isn't gonna speed up the process.

I don't even own a bike. I'm interested in the condition of the sidewalks because I walk and run. And because I don't like the absurd, completely unreflective, precedence afforded to cars.

[erieguy]

Then round up all the bikers, walkers, and runners and express concern to the powers that be. I'm sure with enough voices and valid points the process will be sped up.

[canadian citizen]

I think we can all agree that Toronto gets a lot more snow than yourcity does.

Having said that..... Here is the mechanical solution to removing snow from the curb of any road or street. Obviously the cars are warned to move, 12 hours ahead of the clearing operations. Toronto Police have their own tow trucks for removing cars, to a local mall parking lot, with no tickets.

link to video image.


Snow Removal In Toronto Canada - YouTube

That one machine with ten dump trucks, can clear 20 miles of curb in one 12 hour shift. Multiply that by 80 machines, and we have the solution to your problem.

Toronto has a fleet of over 800 trucks, sanders salters and plows. Part of the fleet are city owned units, the rest are private contractors, on a seasonal contract from December to April 15th.

This years snow removal budget is 80 million dollars, and that amount does not include snow operations on the Provincial highways that run through Toronto, such as the 401, 410, 403, 407 and 427. Those are covered by the Ontario Ministry of Highways, with their trucks and sanders and salters.

here is a link to a video showing 6 MTO trucks clearing the entire width of the 401 east bound , at 50 mph. Shot from a condo building that over looks the highway, in the middle of the city. At one point the 401 has 16 traffic lanes, 8 in each direction . In terms of daily vehicle use it is the busiest highway in North America, and it runs from Detroit ( Windsor, Ontario ) to the border with Quebec, a total of about 700 miles, from west to east.

BE SURE to watch the entire video, to see the whole roadway cleared, and sanded, including the feeder lanes, all at the same time !

High5videos.com - Snowplows Clearing Highway 401 in Toronto. The best videos!

By the way, Toronto has about 50 miles of bike trails that are non vehicle and they are cleared of snow by the city, in winter. We also have hundreds of miles of city streets that have curb bike lanes, six feet wide, and clearly marked as bikes only. These are "no parking " for cars between 7 am and 9am, and 3 pm to 7 pm, m to f.

Jim B.

Toronto.

[erieguy]

Awesome equipment. That budget would never fly in da 'burgh but for somebody who feels the need to bike in the winter, sounds like Toronto is the place to move to.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by canadian citizen

I think we can all agree that Toronto gets a lot more snow than yourcity does.

Actually it doesn't look like there is a huge difference. Annual snowfall in Toronto is 48 inches while in Pittsburgh it's 42. Having been to Toronto twice in the winter I have to say that when comparing snow removal between the two cities Pittsburgh looks like a joke.

[erieguy]

What are the taxes and cost of living differences between Toronto and Pittsburgh?

[airwave09]

Originally Posted by erieguy

Not happening. I'd suggest carrying a shovel.

You unfortunately don't know a single thing about what's actually happening. But feel free to continue living in your car-centrist dream land.

Anyway, you could buy a handful of these for the price of one regular snowplow and take care of all of the major bike/ped trails in the city after a moderate snowfall:

[erieguy]

I know that the safety and needs of many outweighs the wants of a few. Its a small inconvenience until the snow melts.

Nice machine. Where are you going to get the money to purchase, maintain, and pay people to operate those machines since its obviously not going to replace a truck and driver to plow the roads. As soon as 1 less truck is running there will be complaints that the roads aren't being cleared fast enough.

[ki0eh]

I wonder what that thing would do to the plastic chairs set out in parking spaces. Although I suppose that won't happen as often if the complete street were actually cleared.

Does anyone know when it became common practice to plow snow off roads? Back in Little House on the Prairie days didn't everyone just switch to the sleigh in their barn to keep moving?