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Our neighborhood streets don't get plowed or salted or sanded. They really haven't been a problem though. Just drive slow. I just moved here from Alabama and actually ventured out Wednesday before the melt in our neighborhood and my camry with regular tires did just fine.
Not the norm, happens maybe a few times a year and sometimes not at all. It snowed a few inches the other night and it was enough to cancel school, so that should give you some idea of the rarity of any significant in-town accumulation.
I should add that I think this was an odd school cancellation. It usually takes a lot more than a few inches of snow to cancel school. Every other school cancellation has been pretty much expected--we've checked the school websites and anticipated a closure because of heavy snow and ice.
This time, everyone was surprised. I think it was the freezing rain over night combined with an early morning semi-truck that had jackknifed and shut down half the freeway. Most of town really wasn't that bad-they just had to make that call when it looked like things could get a lot worse.
Overall, the current snow fall seems exactly like the sort of snowfall we get 1-4 times a winter season. Most winters involved a few times when we have several inches on the ground. This January has been colder with more snow than in the past few years, but it's still pretty normal.
I'm with Lacerta. I grew up here, too, and winters were much, much worse when I was a kid (I'm 42). We had snow earlier and more often. Even with this snowfall, in the end we had three bad driving days in town. With today's sunshine, most roads are totally clear. It's not that bad.
How odd. I live and work near the mall, and my "bubble" centers around that part of town. It is an extremely high traffic area, and I would think if they plowed anywhere, they would plow in that area, but I remember 18 years ago driving down Milwaukee and there was so much gunk built up on the road (from not being plowed over the course of several days' melting and refreezing) that my hood popped open from all the bouncing around. I had to pull over and close it before I could continue driving. I don't think I've seen a plow (or evidence of a plowed road) in all the years since then. I see salt and sand trucks 5 or 6 times a day when it snows though. I really thought they had gotten rid of all the plows.
But then, I don't drive very much, either. Maybe they are plowing the roads near me and I just never ever see them. But the amount of snow between the tire tracks would argue against that.
I know there never have been very many plows for the whole of Ada County. Back when I was in college, in Logan Utah, I used to joke that the university owned more plows than all of Ada County, because not only the streets, but all the walkways were always plowed before 7 AM every snowy morning.
I also live near the mall. They plowed my side street late Monday night, and I saw some plows out on Emerald and Eagle yesterday morning. So yes, they do plow.
I've lived here four years, and I don't even own chains for my car. Unless you live in the foothills, Boise is mostly flat. There are very few steep hills to worry about. Just make sure your tires aren't bald and you drive carefully and you'll be fine.
When I lived near Seattle, I was actually a lot more worried on the few occasions it did snow because the area is so hilly. Hills with 7-20 percent plus grades and wet, heavy snow that turns into slush and freezes into sheets of ice overnight is enough to give any driver a few gray hairs. Google Seattle snow drivers sometime for some entertaining (and cringe-worthy) videos.
My perceptions from the last week with our snow covered streets are to drive carefully, don't speed and definitely drive slower than you normally would. Do not drive so slowly that you become a hazard, imo driving too slow on slick roads is just as dangerous as driving too fast because slow drivers create tension. Some people should not even attempt to drive on slick roads if they want to go 5 mph. They should park their car and take a taxi or look at the bus schedule.
I drive an Outback and was behind another Outback the other day who was going 15 mph on a major street. I had to laugh because that person obviously had no confidence in their Subaru. blasphemy.
I'm in Collister, and I've seen the ACHD salt/sand spreader go up and down my little side street area on two occasions so far, and the snow did melt. After this last blast, it could use it again, though.
I am a newbie here in Nampa and not trying to act sassy about driving the roads here and to Boise but to me it's not bad at all.. Where I moved from in western Oregon I got 20 inches of snow last year and I had a 7 degree long hill to climb to get back home from town.. Like what was stated above ,the roads are mostly flat all around here and that really is better than them hills like back in around Portland or Seattle for that matter.. ..
We have not received a gigantic amount of snow, 3 or 4 inches maybe two or three times. Problem is is that our temperatures have been way below average, as much as twenty degrees below, so the snow we have isn't going anywhere. With the exception of the rooftops, it's simply not melting.
This winter in Idaho was slow to come, but when it arrived in late December, it arrived. Most areas have not seen huge amounts of snow, but cold enough temps where not much has melted. There is hope, though, as the area of cold air seems to be moving east, and Idaho should warm in the next 2 weeks.
We have not received a gigantic amount of snow, 3 or 4 inches maybe two or three times. Problem is is that our temperatures have been way below average, as much as twenty degrees below, so the snow we have isn't going anywhere. With the exception of the rooftops, it's simply not melting.
Yes, Boise is in a deep freeze. On the flip-side of the rockies, Denver will be at a warm 57 today, melting snow, go-figure.
If Ada is anything like Pend Oreille County in NE Wash, then their road dept has also probably taken a hit from the county budget, thanks to our current president and his ever spending and decrease in state(s) support! I'm sure they, the towns/cities there, get to the snow eventually, like they do here, but they're not 'johnny on the spot' since the state budget decreases starting in 2008.
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