This definitely qualifies as a snow day but my upstate New York roots make me scoff at the “blizzard” label. Regardless, there are roads to be plowed and sidewalks to clear. Share your stories and stay warm!
How are the streets and sidewalks in your village?
by Nathan Phillips | Jan 3, 2014 | Newton | 28 comments
Light and fluffy. Unlike the last storm, perfect snow blower snow. Not that I have a snow blower but if I did it would be perfect.
Gail, apparently along sections of the coast, with heavy winds, more snow than here, and temps near zero, you’d probably be agreeing it was blizzard like.
The corners of Lake and Hyde and not piled high with snow. Perhaps the plows are turning the corners properly.
Just drove from the Highlands to Needham Street. The streets are clear, most stores are open and there’s no traffic.
I would go as far as saying that my street is not only cleared, but nicely manicured, without the usual mound of snow at the end of my driveway. A city contracted plow cleared my lightly-travelled side street at least a half a dozen times throughout last night and this morning. While I certainly appreciate the great response, the high frequency of visits by this plow makes me wonder if the snow removal resources are being deployed evenly throughout the city.
Streets in my Newton corner neighborhood (near Charlesbank) are well-plowed as usual. Snow is plentiful, but light. I cleared as much as I can, including curb snowbanks, while it remained relatively easy to move.
Check your pipes everyone, it’s cold, and will be at least through tonight!
Also – just heard from Alderman Lennon that trash is delayed again. We are Thursday; with the holiday, today would be our day, but it will be Saturday now. The Friday neighborhoods that were expecting a Saturday pickup will now get serviced on Monday, and everyone is pushed back a day next week.
It’s 12 o’clock and yet ANOTHER CITY PLOW just went down Lake Ave, plowing our driveways in AGAIN. The snow stopped 3 hours ago. What is up with that? We spent the entire morning helping our neighbors clear their driveways; now they’re plowed in again.
Are there any streets that are still unplowed? Please call the charming and helpful woman in City Hall and tell her to get the plows to where they are needed.
From the point of view of a wheelchair user:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x1266953948/Robert-Solomon-Newton-failed-disabled-in-storm-cleanup?rssfeed=true
The sidewalk in front of my house is clear! Please feel free to come walk on the pristine grass sidewalk in front of my house!
Have you been keeping it watered?
I live in West Newton in the Cherry Street area. The streets were clean until people started plowing, shoveling and/or blowing the snow from their yard into the streets. Some of the side streets are a mess. This is a constant problem in this area and it makes me crazy! I just don’t understand why people think it is their RIGHT to clog the streets up after the plows have done such good work.
Light and fluffy, except where the neighbor’s plow guy piled up snow at the end of our driveway. Again. Grrrrr.
I can be as critical as the next person about snow removal, but I must say there are always going to be some problems, and they will vary greatly by the nature of the storm. And while I’m sensitive to the difficulties that storms create for those with disabilities, everyone gets inconvenienced by these storms, such that even the able-bodied have to curtail activities during and right after storms. Sometimes none of can do what we want to do when we want to right after a storm.
It is useful for feedback to be provided, and it is hoped that the city can make modifications wherever possible to improve things for the future, but I’d just urge folks to recognize that most of the time our city employees are doing their level best. [Another variable is that I think the city also uses private contractors for some of the cleanup.]
I do think the city can and should be more diligent about fining commercial and retail if they don’t do an adequate job. [I’m not sure how we go about fining ourselves if the city doesn’t do well with its designated areas for plowing/shoveling.]
Like others, I have observed private snow plow drivers, and private citizens blatantly pushing snow into the streets, and making no effort to “fix up” the mess they make. Ideally, we’d have a way to penalize these folks, but I’m not confident there’s an easy solution. [Maybe we make private snow plowers take and pass a course on how to properly plow driveways and parking lots and “clean up” any residual on the streets?]
True retail is doing the job. It’s absentee owners of salons (hair/nail) and various other personal or commercial services where no one seems to be concerned about access. More so with nonprofit fronts including certain churches. Then there are the City and State owned lots with paved sidewalks. If it’s a paved surface, I’d expect the same rule for homeowners to apply — it needs to be cleared.
I think the City did and has done an excellent job on the streets, since Mayor Warren first took office. Most of the complaints I read, are from people who underestimate the enormity of the task, and don’t understand the process of snow clearing. Newton is very fortunate to have David Turocy, as our DPW Commissioner. And I’m pleased that the Mayor has seen fit to add more sidewalk plows and a snow melter to the City’s storm fighting arsenal. Could we do a better job of snow clearing? Absolutely! But only if we’re willing to buy more equipment, add more manpower, and spend more money. Given the tools the DPW has to work with, and the fact that we’ve outsourced much of this work to private contractors over the years, I would give the City an “A.”
What Mike said.
Streets and sidewalks around Newton Corner, not too bad. Newton Centre, OK. Last storms, I had 311’d the fact that there was no cut through the snow pile to access the crosswalk at Beacon & Herrick (the same one that Robert Solomon wrote about). Instead, there was one about 20 yards further toward Centre St, as a continuation of the walkway past the green, but that leaves you in the middle of Beacon St. without a crosswalk. This afternoon, there was a DPW guy with his sidewalk plow still in the parking lot and when I approached him, he went right out onto Beacon St. and cut through the mound into the crosswalk. Thank you!!!
What Striar said.
Since Mike is well covered, I’ll say “What Dan said!”
The immediate aftermath of a storm is not a great time to place judgment on the overall efforts. The severity of the storm, the day and the time of day all have a lot to do with clearing, and some places get done before others. If something is still messed up on Monday, I think most of us will agree that that’s a problem (perhaps that is generous, and I would agree that churches have a lot of incentive to get things in shape by tomorrow morning).
That said, the young woman with Toyota with NY plates who parked her car on my street all through the storm, forcing the plows to move around her, who then brushed off her car and left, leaving a huge snowbank in the middle of the street for the residents to enjoy, could use a stern talking-to.
(No extra charge for the extreme run-on sentence)
@Doug – she’s lucky you were too nice to call to have her towed.
As to Dan’s comments – please note the letter I posted to wasn’t written about this week’s storm. It was written several days after the last snowfall which, according to Doug’s timeline, qualifies as a problem.
@mgwa – yes, I caught that. I was only referring to this storm, but if things linger like they obviously did after last time they should again be reported.
Doug
We have had the same issue……cars parked who rode the at to work…..and leave the plows to plow around them. Twice I have called the police and twice I was told that they won’t tow a car in a residential neighborhood during a snow emergency. That the commuter didn’t know and I should given the commuter a pass…..
I pay taxes and if she wanted she could pay $5 to park in the MBtA lot…She chooses not to pay and my neighborhood pays the price…a rotten road until a snow melt….and last winter it was around for months.
Since when does the NPD not tow during a snow emergency? I once had a tow truck try to tow my car because it was parked in the street while I shoveled my driveway.
Timely Letter to the Editor on the TAB website from the DPW Comm ssioner today, talking about changes the city’s made to improve things:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x1266954270/LETTER-Newtons-DPW-Commissioner-on-snow-removal?rssfeed=true
I’ve added a time lapse video by George Banis capturing one hour of the storm in Auburndale.
Walking to ymca from my house this morning (Sunday), found some unacceptably uncleared walkways. The curb cuts at the exit from the pike East were covered with snow. The Washington crossing had been cleared before the storm ended, but that work ended well short of the 400 Centre St crossing. Scratching my head at that one.
I’m able and was wearing boots, but I can imagine the frightening crossing this would be for many folks (more so than normal I should add).
https://plus.google.com/photos/105722900792713093105/albums/5965491772919457281
Signs I’m getting old and look old. I went out to shovel the last of the snow off my long sidewalk. Bruce Henderson had called earlier and offered to do it, but I said I thought I could handle it. Within minutes of getting to the sidewalk, a younger than me neighbor I had never met came walking down the street and offered to complete the job. I thanked him profusely but politely refused. 10 minutes later, another young adult I had never met came by and offered to help. Again, I politely said no. Finally, Matt Rhodes-Kroph from Harrison Street came jogging by with his dog and said “give me the shovel”. I did and he finished everything in short order.
I learned three things from this experience.
1. We have someone plow our driveway and maybe it’s time to have them do everything.
2. Newton has a lot of great people who are more than willing to help whenever they can.
3. If you are old like me, just stand out on the sidewalk with a shovel and put a blank look on your face to hint at just a touch of early dementia. Someone younger is certain to come along and offer to help.
The age must be key. Just having the blank look and early dementia hasn’t worked for me.
Great story Bob. It sounds like youv’e got some great friends and neighbors in the Highlands.