Snow/Parking Update

[tomchampion.livejournal.com]

We just sent this out via Connect CTY:

While the city has NOT declared a snow emergency, the DPW is continuing to salt and sand roads and to remove snow at major intersections and city squares. Despite parking scarcity, residents must NOT park within twenty feet of intersections, obstruct the street, block hydrants or handicapped spaces, or violate resident permit parking. Residents and businesses are also reminded that they are REQUIRED to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks and to put down sand to improve traction. If you do not have access to sand, you may receive a free supply by bringing an empty container of five gallons or less to the DPW yard at 1 Franey Road. To further assist residents, the city will continue to provide overnight parking from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. in designated city and school lots through and including Thursday night. Residents currently in legal curbside spaces have until Thursday morning at 8 a.m. to dig out and move their cars before the city resumes ticketing for parking over 48 hours. Thank you for assisting the city in clearing our roadways. If you need additional information, please visit the city’s website or call 311.

Just so LJ folks know, I have since learned that some 48-hour rule tickets may have been issued by the police . This isn't their fault -- they were authorized to do it -- but anyone who has received a 48-hour violation in the past 12 hours should call 311 right away. They should also PLEASE move their vehicles as soon as humanly possible -- we'll start enforcing on Thursday at 8 a.m., but earlier compliance would be very helpful.

PS Thanks to knowledgeable LJers schpahky and mamajoan for clarifying that the city will continue to street-sweep as and where we are able (we do tht all winter), but we won't be ticketing.
Tags: local government, parking, snow emergency


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Comments

[tomchampion.livejournal.com]

In order for DPW to have (or contract for) enough personnel and equipment to, in 48 hours, clear snow and ice from every inch of ground for which it has responsibility (roads, parking lots, schools, sidewalks, park paths, etc., etc.), Somerville's residential property taxpayers would have to foot an annual bill that would send them reeling. (some folks already reel, but that's another story.)

Cambridge has about half again as many people as we do and spends twice as much per capita on city services (lots more commercial revenue). Think their roads and walks are better? Think again.

Our work crews generally clean up based on a prioritized list in which major roads come first, secondaries second, schools third, parking lots fourth and so on. Once the snow stops, we may dial back on the number of crews in order to avoid blowing our overtime budget, but we keep at it.

And as for the rules about shoveling/sanding walks and not reserving cleared spaces: that's not a conundrum -- that's the law. If enough people think it's wrongheaded or unfair, I guarantee you the Aldermen will want to change it.

[ron_newman]

And I certainly don't expect the city to immediately clear every sidewalk next to every city property, but I hope the city gives some priority to heavily trodden sidewalks.

Besides the one I keep complaining about, others would include: Broadway and Cedar Street along Trum Field; Broadway and College Avenue along Nathan Tufts Park; Holland Street next to various city properties (athletic field, traffic & parking, Buena Vista parking lot); all of the north-south bridges over the Lowell railroad tracks.