Can someone tell me why this area can't remove snow? (Burke: house, neighborhood)

[oneasterisk]

I know in my area my street was already plowed at 5am this morning. I usually go to the gym at 5am and figured I'd skip it, instead opting to shovel my driveway and sidewalk. All the roads I travelled on to get to work were well plowed and it was easy getting around.

Of course I had to dodge the slow poke drivers who just HAD to be in the "fast" lane going well below the speed limit

YMMV but in my area, all is normal.

[TF81]

Originally Posted by d-fens

Some of us have jobs where we have to be there regardless of the weather. I'm getting pretty tired of all of the NOVA/DC/MD area residents acting as if this is some tropical paradise and it is out of the ordinary to get snow here. Everyone always says "we just aren't prepared for this!" Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it snow at least once just about every winter? I just think it is ridiculous that 1-3 inches of snow is not cleaned up in time for some of us to go to work in the morning. The other excuse of "we have nowhere to put it!" is complete B.S. as well because when I lived in North Jersey as well as urbanized areas of PA there never was a problem removing snow from roads. Those areas were just as densely populated if not more than anywhere here. I think the absolute negligence of this place when it comes to preparing for weather they know they are going to get year in and year out is unbelievable.

To all the people who are wishing for snow because it is "wintery" or "festive", STOP. Or here is a suggestion. Learn how to drive in it. It isn't anything more than an inconvenience to me and I have no interest in getting in an accident because you have no clue how to drive when there is 1-3 inches on the ground.

God, I can't wait for the season to change, or my area of residence. At least I have saved money seeing as no one hires from out of state. A few more months and I should be fine to leave.

As someone originally from Buffalo... I believe it's amount of equipment to use for removal, and experience at doing it that sets the city apart from places that actually get real amounts of snow. While the snow in Buffalo is often sensationalized in the news as far as the amount and how "bad" it is, even there they weren't the greatest at removal... if you drive around Buffalo in the winter I guarantee you will find densely populated side-streets that haven't seen a plow, presumably all winter. One thing I remember them doing that they don't appear to do around here, is prepare for the storm by sending out trucks to salt/sand the roads, so as it falls, it immediately starts to melt.

[EuroExpat]

I mostly agree with you OP. But a miracle happened this time! Our street was plowed by 6:30am! Yes, shocking since this was pretty much the first time this winter.. It was plowed before but two days after it snowed so that doesn't count. Might actually venture out to the mall today.. Can't believe this is the SECOND day off for public schools this week, ridiculous! Wanna bet that tomorrow is off too..

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by EuroExpat

Wanna bet that tomorrow is off too..

They'll have school tomorrow. But Friday will be a no school day thanks to the next round.

[beatlecrazy]

The only thing that bugs me about the snow is that our street doesn't get plowed until very late. It doesn't bother me so much to get heated about it. But, I live on a no outlet road, near the end of it, and we're almost always the last to be plowed.

Sometimes I don't mind it though (especially on the weekends when I don't have to go to work), seeing the snow fall all night in the quiet is peaceful to me.

It's just waking up the next day to deal with it and drive in it that's bad )

[claremarie]

We lived on a true dead end in McLean, with absolutely no way for a snow plow to turn around. Not surprisingly, our street was never one of the first to be plowed. So you get up earlier and deal with it.
Now we live in the lake-effect snowbelt, where the average winter snowfall is 72 inches. Guess what? Even though the area is obviously used to snow, it still takes the limited number of trucks some time to get to every street. We often have to drive over 5-6 inches of snow to get out in the morning. By the afternoon, it's plowed.

Expecting every residential street to be plowed, salted, and sanded by 7 am is simply not realistic. Someone is always going to be at the end of the run.

[lchoro]

Fairfax County should designate snow lanes for towing vehicles as a potential revenue-raiser.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by lchoro

Fairfax County should designate snow lanes for towing vehicles as a potential revenue-raiser.

GREAT idea! You should submit this idea to the Board of Supervisors!

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by ajzjmsmom

wow, didn't think the OP deserved to get slammed just because they have a difference of opinion. Not cool.

Well.... I do think the OP could have waited until this morning to see how the roads were, instead of writing a post in the middle of the storm, assuming it would be bad.

My experience with the roads this morning was good. I had to pick up my mother in law in Reston and get her to an appointment in Gaithersburg. All the main roads were plowed, and most of the side roads, too. I had no trouble at all on any part of this trip.

The only possible problem I saw today was one small stretch of road to her townhouse complex, which wasn't plowed (I think it may be a private road). I had no trouble driving on it since it was just an inch of slush, not ice. If it isn't melted away by the time we return this afternoon, I might just pull out the shovel and clear it myself. It'll take less time to clear this little bit of road than to b*tch about it.

[ChristineVA]

During the December storm, our neighborhood didn't see a plow for about 2 days after the snow stopped. Our HOA also does not have private contract, so we do depend on the county. Our winters are generally so light that we ditched the private contract years ago--they charged whether they came or not.

For the storm that we got Friday into Saturday, I had three county plows come through by Saturday evening, which I thought was a phenomenal response. By Sunday morning, everything in Woodbridge was really cleared down to the pavement.

Last night's storm response had a plow through my neighborhood by about 6:00 a.m. but I could've gotten out without it. It just wasn't that bad.

I don't think the plowing is bad here at all.