Blizzard 2015 Boston

Threepoint · Mar 3, 2015

leonz said:
I live outside Ithaca and it has a very high population
with college students and year round residents.

We have plenty of parking problems with lack of
parking in many places and we have parking garages
without roofs which causes huge deicing and snow
removal expense- crazy idea in this climate especially when
the garages do not have heated floors to melt ice and snow.

You have to love municipalities(insert snicker here) and how they only think in
the short term with short dollars instead of thinking long term to reduce
issues with ice and snow and its effects on exposed concrete where heated
floors solve more problems and reduce repairs to the concrete surfaces.
This works on car washes and has worked well for sidewalks as well.

Leonz, I've lived in both Ithaca and Boston, and comparing the challenges of managing snow in those two cities is unrealistic in the extreme! Last I knew, Ithaca is not even considered to be in the snow belt of Upstate NY, and the population has changed only moderately in the many years since I was there. Wherever the city is located, municipal planners since Beowulf have had to balance the expense of long term capital investment in equipment and infrastructure against the fact that the folks who have to pay for it don't particularly want to. They don't want their taxes raised anymore than absolutely necessary. They don't want to incur municipal debt unless absolutely necessary. They (and I include myself) complain that local income and sales taxes are already too high, and that the "bureaucrats" don't spend the money they already collect efficiently enough. :laughing: I love Ithaca, BTW. :thumbsup:

Garandman · Mar 4, 2015

After last night we have 2" to go to break the record (107.6") and more light snow is forecast for tomorrow.

Garandman · Mar 5, 2015

Extensive bitching about the snowbanks in the neighborhoods, which make parking tough and resulted in the use of place savers.

With above freezing temps the snow piles are no longer frozen solid, we we attacked a section last night with shovels and a snow thrower. In two hours we went from this:

To this and 5-6 neighbors will now have easier parking.

IslandTractor · Mar 5, 2015

Today was the first day since the snows began in Janurary that my typical 40 minute drive actually took 40 minutes. Not clear what changed as it took an hour yesterday and the roads weren't obviously different. Not complaining though.

Garandman · Mar 5, 2015

Moses Brown (Prep school in RI) has a viral video announcing school closure. Over 3 million hits.

IslandTractor · Mar 5, 2015

Today was the first day since the snows began in Janurary that my typical 40 minute drive actually took 40 minutes. Not clear what changed as it took an hour yesterday and the roads weren't obviously different. Not complaining though.

Garandman, where'd you blow all the snow?

Garandman · Mar 7, 2015

The cove where we take the dog to swim is frozen over. And had been, for a couple months. 3/6/7. Last winter we got only seven feet of snow and this cove wasn't forzen over for more than a week.

JJZ 109 · Mar 7, 2015

I really have to kind of laugh at Boston's big snow dilemma. The place in this link is about a half hour from me. And I don't think my town is all that far behind them. Our whole region lives this every year. The snowiest place in America this year is a tiny town in Upstate New York | syracuse.com

IslandTractor · Mar 7, 2015

JJZ 109 said:
I really have to kind of laugh at Boston's big snow dilemma. The place in this link is about a half hour from me. And I don't think my town is all that far behind them. Our whole region lives this every year. The snowiest place in America this year is a tiny town in Upstate New York | syracuse.com

If you deal with this sort of snow accumulation every year or two the cities would develop systems and equipment to deal effectively. It is the relatively unusual snow events/accumulations that cause problems. As I recall Washington DC was essentially shut down ten years ago after a 4-6 inch snow fall. Boston can handle 18" every couple of weeks without much trouble but 72" in a couple weeks knocked us for a loop.

Garandman · Mar 8, 2015

JJZ 109 said:
I really have to kind of laugh at Boston's big snow dilemma. The place in this link is about a half hour from me. And I don't think my town is all that far behind them. Our whole region lives this every year.

Not at all surprising.

People who live in places With population densities of a few hundred people per square mile don't seem to understand the challenges when population densities are over 10,000 people per square mile.

Our NH place has had 2" more snow than Boston - and is about average for the season.

Here ya go.