How other cities deal with the snow and ice on highways 2/12/14 (Atlanta: to buy, schools)

[ehoez]

Looks like they can no longer talk about us anymore in atlanta.

[NativeJr]

At least they had the common sense to build a fire to stay warm overnight...don't we all feel dumb for not thinking of that.


PS: According to news reports, everyone was out of the car and not hurt. If not, I retract my comment.

[ehoez]

[waronxmas]

This is going on right now in Boston. Somehow, it is different though of course. I mean, since "they know how to drive in the snow and ice with no problem", something else must have magically come down from the sky and caused problems. Right?


https://twitter.com/kathrynsotnik/st...447104/photo/1

[Ant131531]

I love how the news barely focused on the NC cities while they demolished Atlanta two weeks ago. Even with this storm, media focused on the ice storm in Atlanta and ignored everywhere else. Not sure if it's because Atlanta is the most well known and biggest city in the Southeast(sans Miami for obvious reasons)....or a major bias.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

This is going on right now in Boston. Somehow, it is different though of course. I mean, since "they know how to drive in the snow and ice with no problem", something else must have magically come down from the sky and caused problems. Right?

I lived and drove in Massachusetts for many years. I lived through many storms and drove many miles in the snow. Your point is invalid...here's why:

Traffic delays will always happen when speeds slow and lanes are narrowed. Boston is no exception. The difference is that snow can fall at rates of 1-2 inches per HOUR, not day. When that happens, it can be tough to keep up with it. Having said that, the roads are normally still plowed with most lanes open and sand/salt spread for traction.

When very light snowfall of 1-4 inches falls, and yes...1-4 inches is a light dusting for New England...generally there is limited impact to roads, unless it falls very very quickly.

Cleanup during and after storms is also very quick, since each town and city has equipment on the streets, and an army of private plow drivers with blades on their pickup trucks are plowing parking lots, driveways, and contracting to cities and towns. Things are typically back to normal within hours of the snow having stopped falling.

Here in Atlanta, we get 1-4 inches over a day or more and we get paralyzed. What would be a non-event in MA is an apocalypse here because they don't get on the roads early, don't stay on the roads during the storm, and cleanup doesn't happen. People just close and wait for everything to melt.

Finally, drivers here do contribute to the problem. Speeding, slamming on brakes, and just not knowing what to do causes one vehicle spinouts and crashes.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

I love how the news barely focused on the NC cities while they demolished Atlanta two weeks ago. Even with this storm, media focused on the ice storm in Atlanta and ignored everywhere else. Not sure if it's because Atlanta is the most well known and biggest city in the Southeast(sans Miami for obvious reasons)....or a major bias.

You can thank CNN for that.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Here in Atlanta, we get 1-4 inches over a day or more and we get paralyzed. What would be a non-event in MA is an apocalypse here because they don't get on the roads early, don't stay on the roads during the storm, and cleanup doesn't happen. People just close and wait for everything to melt.

Since that only happens about one or two days a year here, waiting it out for the day may be the most sensible strategy.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Since that only happens about one or two days a year here, waiting it out for the day may be the most sensible strategy.

Is it? Is the economic impact of schools and businesses closing and people panicking worth it? I don't know what it would cost to buy plow blades for pickup trucks and spreader attachments for dump trucks, but at some point is it less than the cost of closing the city for a week? Other cities deal with much worse than anything in Atlanta, and they do it routinely without the gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands.

I'm not one for taxes, but perhaps what's needed is a surcharge to allow the state and counties to buy new equipment. You can buy Fisher kits for pickup trucks for a couple of thousand dollars. The state and counties have pickup trucks and there are contractors who do as well. When storms are coming, you outfit the trucks with the necessary equipment and get them out on the road.

I'm not advocating that Atlanta becomes Chicago or Boston, but there must be a middle ground between dealing with a foot of snow routinely, and freaking out for week and closing down over 2 inches.

The airport has no excuse. They should not cancel a single flight in the type of weather we have here. They should have all the deicing and plowing equipment needed for a few inches of snow, sleet, or even a coating of ice.

[neil0311]

This is how other cities deal with it.

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