When buying these plows, do 5 to 10 a year. After 10 years you could have an additional 50 to plows. I spent a long time chatting with a lady from Vermont, who said her town of people has 36 snow plows, not counting all the privately owned ones folks put on their trucks. She also shared how Bernie Sanders got his political start - he ran for mayor of Burlington and won by literally a handful of votes. He set up efficient snow removal and ensured trash removal would continue in all weather.
Next year he won in a landslide and took off from there. That should be a lesson to all politicians! Global warming should solve the problem soon enough, That is unless we actually have global cooling. All well and good but with the city's love of speed bumps I would think it would be difficult if not impossible to plow a street full of speed bumps. I'm particularly thinking of 3rd Ave NW that is supposed to be an arterial and could benefit by being plowed.
There are plenty of other examples as well. I was somewhat surprised by Cliff's ideas to deal with our year snow events in Seattle. It may just be that we live in an overconsumption society: if we don't buy something we can't solve any problems anymore. Who knows what a properly conducted study about adding more heavy equipment would reveal? The point is that we don't need to do that. A few days of work, school and business inactivity is not going to be our demise. It may actually be good for us.
Buy food in advance, establish a communication network with your immediate neighbors and let the city take care of the most important roads and emergencies. We don't need to go crazy over all this and think that the credit card will be the answer to our difficulties. Work along with nature and not against it. Oh Twinkle I know you mean well and I get what you are saying. The last 10 or so days being the last of the Christmas shopping days. People weren't mobile. At one time I had 5 fire trucks slid off the road.
People couldn't get out of their neighborhoods. And all of those neat little kiosks in the mall? Most only get into the black over the holiday buying period. There were many vendors who weren't present in And it wasn't just those vendors They were the canaries I wouldn't be too quick to poo poo the impact of commercial inactivity.
This series probably won't have as big an effect. But one would be unwise to assume that to be the case always. I certainly wouldn't attempt to recreate the Vermont scenario. At that rate, how many thousands of plows would that bring to Seattle?
For relatively minor and shortlived events. I am a big advocate for shopping early, restocking the pantry, having staples resupplied, gas in the vehicles. And staying home. Not that I can't get around, but a little forethought assures me that I don't need to. I am with you there. It just isn't. Inconvenience through the Puget Sound every 10 or 11 years? We are assured that people won't be any smarter when the next storied event happens. Nor will people be any smarter up on the pass for the whole winter season forcing closures of 90 at Exit 47 and Exit The 'anti stud' crowd will continue to holler about the damage to the roads although I have heard exactly one car in Western Washington with studs this year.
And those were plastic People will demand, stomp, shout, and shake their fists at the rest of us too stupid to see the brilliance of their ideas which work in places not here. You know, in McMurdo Sound, we used to And after a couple of weeks, we will see a patch of sun and then spring comes and we are so dazzled at the tulips and daffodils that we just kind of forget about what just happened. And lose interest.
And lose the immediacy of the need to 'fix' it. Great topic, Cliff! Leadership and expertise are needed to sort out our snow issues.
The questions are who is tasked with providing it and will they follow through? Perhaps a combination of government, private and volunteer groups can tackle specific parts of the problem each year. Also, their strategy needs to be adaptable to adjust to snow events ranging from small to large. Let's identify the experts and connect them with specific people who can and will carry out their advice.
Twinkle is the most logical poster here. Better be sure it's broke before trying to fix it. First, half the people they fined would contest the infraction, clogging the municipal court for months. Second, particularly angry respondents would bring a lawyer and challenge the dubious constitutionality of the original ordinance -- possibly causing it to be overturned.
Policymakers prefer the status quo, where the unenforceable law remains on the books to encourage good citizenship. Trying to compel citizens to perform hard physical labor with tools they may not own is asking for trouble. In Bellingham, I was amazed to see exactly what Cliff is describing on our residential street - a city pick up truck with a plow on front came through at least once a day for four days straight.
I don't think I've ever seen that before, and it made a tremendous difference in how quickly our street was free of ice. I'm from upstate NY so I always get a chuckle out of our snowageddons, and I have to admit I kind of like the spontaneous week-long holiday these types of storms produce, but yes, it was great to be able to get moving faster than in the past. One thing to add: the cost of novice teenagers driving on icy, snowy streets, especially the many streets with hills.
Dangerous car accidents just waiting to happen. Maybe the individual cities can buy some kind of insurance to cover lost revenues in the event of a snowfall. It might be much cheaper than purchasing equipment and cover some of these losses. I can almost hear the Dory Monson outrage when a few plows scrape or slide into parked cars scratching or damaging them.
Outfit your garbage trucks. This is not rocket science, and it doesn't cost anywhere near what some commenters apparently believe. This is analysis via paralysis. An ounce of prevention, and all that jazz.
Two issues I want to comment on: 1 All those people saying we should slow down and sniff the icicles? Any of y'all have any memory of living paycheck to paycheck? Are you assuming restaurant and retail workers will get paid for their involuntary days off? I gather there are places in western Washington that get meaningful snow every year. I don't see anything wrong with King County trying to get some of the money for dealing with that snow, as long as that pencils out.
But if we're talking about doing something because of Seattle snow, we're putting the cart before the horse. I grew up in the Midwest, where "cold Canadian air mass" is standard lingo.
Seattle is normally protected from cold Canadian air masses. For weeks now, we've had one parked overhead. What happened to our protections? Is this a once-a-decade fluke as it has been, or a harbinger of changing patterns? We need to at least begin trying to answer questions like that before making changes on the basis of Seattle-specific concerns. Professor Mass - your analysis of the cost of snow doesn't take into account that many people value snow days.
For children a snow day or a snow week is a very rare treat, and for most workers a day off isn't valueless. In fact, for professionals that are salaried, there's no economic hit at all. In effect, this is a bonus. Like you, Mr. They're killing them off.
It sounds like an extremist thing to say, but what do people think is going to happen to human beings when there's not enough food? Who's going to be killing who? I can't agree that anyone should be required to clear "their" sidewalks, for several reasons: Some are too feeble it's widely known that the unfit sometimes keel over from a heart attack if snow shoveling is the hardest thing they ever do.
Some are snowbirds and are gone all winter smart idea. Some are late sleepers there are towns where you have to shovel by 9 AM. Alternatively, the City owns them which makes more sense and the City is responsible for the maintenance.
If they are open a few hours late well, too bad. Here in Seattle where snow is uncommon I think none of this is all that important: We can all survive a little inconvenience. A potentially interesting situation in Whatcom County tomorrow. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for up to 10cm 3" of snow in the lower mainland on Friday morning, which includes Vancouver and the towns along the border.
Either the border will be the scene of precise weather delineation or one of the weather forecasting services will be incorrect I lived in Northern Virginia for several years. The approach there was to use county think city - Arlington is a county My neighborhood never went more than a day without getting at least one full lane cleared - it helped that one of the independent contractors lived in the area.
His route to and from his assigned section included clearing all of our through streets. I don't understand why Seattle and Portland, for that matter don't do the same.
We came up with a simple solution after the storm shut down everything because folks abandoned their cars without even pulling them over, on the floating bridge and downtown, blocking fire engines and buses that could have run. We checked with the city and waste disposal companies.
Plows could be attached to a he garbage trucks which have a lot of traction and power. They would determine what they could drive and clear, day by day. They would be happy for the time and overtime and could expand their routes into more and more side roads and often empty cans after the first days. Locations for the plows to be stored are abundant. The snows disaster should have cost Nichols.
And any other mayors. She had never heard of such a policy. So, maybe take a plow or two off of bus routes to help Magnolia? Or a simple solution is more snow plows, right? Seattle averages approximately seven inches of snowfall annually. For reference, Chicago employs more than snow plows. That city gets around 36 inches of snow every year. A little napkin math tells us that it has over eight times the snow plows to cover five times the snow.
Weirdly enough, Denver reports an average of 64 inches of snow per year, but keeps just 70 plows on-hand to clear it nine times the snow, but just twice the plows in case you were wondering. A little closer to home, Portland, Oregon has upwards of 56 snow plows , seven anti-icing trucks, six salt trucks, and 12 service trucks. It also has agreements with private plow companies to help out in the event of larger storms. Find Local Services on Facebook.
Frequently-asked questions about snow and ice response 1. Which King County roads will be plowed and sanded this winter during a countywide storm? We plow and sand the roads that are designated on the snow route map. Our crews must prioritize primary snow routes , such as main arterials and major roads and may not be able to reach residential streets, even if they are on a designated snow route. In most cases, communities should not expect roads other than designated snow routes to be plowed and sanded in any type of storm.
If your area is not on a designated snow route, be prepared to wait up to several days and, when possible, avoid driving, in severe weather. If you need life-safety emergency access plowing, or are medically vulnerable and in need of treatment, call How does King County determine snow and ice routes? There are miles of designated snow and ice routes in unincorporated King County. These snow and ice routes include high-volume roads that deliver traffic to and from the highway, lifeline emergency routes, transit routes and minor collector roads that serve densely populated areas.
Phone: ; Relay: Email: maint. May I request the County to plow my road? King County plows and sands roads that are on our designated snow routes. During large, countywide events, crews must prioritize plowing main arterials and major roads and may not be able to reach snow routes on residential streets. Is there way to track which roads are plowed in unincorporated King County?
View our Winter Weather Response Map to track recently plowed areas. The map does not post actual real time locations for two reasons: to allow time for sand and salt to sit on the roadway and do its work; and to prevent drivers from following our plows.
Tailgating a snowplow is not safe. When can I expect my road to be plowed? King County does not have the resources to plow all miles of road in unincorporated King County. Make sure to check the snow route map to see if your road will be plowed. If you do not live on a designated route, be prepared to stay home and avoid driving for up to several days during a major winter storm.
Snow routes are categorized according to priority: Category 1 routes are plowed first, then category 2, category 3 and so on. Category 1 routes include main roadways primary arterials, transit routes, lifeline routes providing regional connections between communities. Category 2 routes are main roadways primary arterials, main thoroughfares, and arterials leading to state highways and minor arterials feeding densely populated areas.
Category 3 routes are minor collectors that lead to and connect with Category 1 and 2 routes. These routes provide continuity between towns, cities, and large subdivisions. Category 4 routes are secondary commuter routes that connect Category 1, 2, and 3 routes along with other jurisdictions.
A total 21 inches fell during winter , the heaviest since The city met and often beat its hour goal to clear mainlines in February and even responded to urgent hazards. However, citizens complained about icy light-rail station entrances, and wheelchair ramps. People with limited mobility struggled through mounds of slush in crosswalks.
Incident-response trucks will circulate to help stranded motorists in the metro area, he said. King County Metro Transit would shift to snow routes that omit steep slopes.
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