davis_square | Why no snow emergency?

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snow emergency

Why no snow emergency?

I've been hearing 4 (or more) inches projected for several days now, and it looks like that's what we'll get. Now I'm curious: why didn't Somerville declare a snow emergency last night? Does it have something to do with the holiday? Does 4 inches need to be declared by a particular forecasting organization? Or have they simply met their revenue projections for January and don't need any more cash?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i've been wondering the same thing -- even if it's falling slowly, they still have to plow the streets and if people are parked on the even sides, it's going to be a lot more crowded.

Good question. This storm seems to have been ignored all around. Having just driven across East Cambridge to the Hyatt, I can tell you there is no plowing going on. Roads big and small are snow covered, ...very slow, slippery going. I also drove at about the same point in the past three storms (Dec. 19 and 31, Jan. 11), and there is a marked difference in the road conditions today.

I think the forecast I saw before going to bed was for 1 inch, but maybe I imagined it.

last nite, i think wunderground was claiming around 5 inches.

3-5. I assume Somerville was looking at the 3 end, not the 5 end, but I admit I had been expecting a Tom Champion's dulcet tones on my cell.

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The Somerville website says 4 inches, and they've held to that so far this winter.

Why?, said Mango, Why?, Why?, Why?
Maybe I know why.

It's too late ( to robo-call 8 hours in advance ) now, they were only expecting 1-3 inches. At least that's what the weather reports I saw said until just now.

I have a feeling we may get a snow emergency email soon, because I just heard some cop car announcing something loudly through the streets, but I couldn't quite make it out.

Sometimes even if there's no snow emergency, the plows can call the police to encourage people to move if its difficult to get the plow through.

I went ahead & moved my car to the odd side of the street anyway. As the morning has gone on it seems eveyone in my hood is doing the same.

Wise move. Not everyone on my street was so prescient, but now they all seem to be moving. I'm glad we nabbed a spot last night.

My guess.

There hasn't been any plowing done on my street -- at all. Looks like we got at least five inches, and it's all just sitting in the road.

I'm right off of Teele Square, and I don't know why the city decided to not plow at all. As far as I can tell, a plow never came down our street.

Eh, it's better this way. If we all pitched in to shovel our streets it would save us a lot of trouble and help to build the community.

put your shovel where your mouth is! :)

The hazardous sidewalks of Medford are a good example of what happens when a city doesn't maintain a cynical view of its citizens and simply leaves snow removal to the whims of community-building.

Hell, the hazardous sidewalks of Somerville (especially on any residential street) are a good example of the glorious civic spirit of Somerville's homeowners.

Well, a little discomfort never hurt anyone. Folks should be able to navigate those sidewalks... if you can't, you're likely elderly, a baby, or terribly out of shape.

Just wondering... :)

Actually, a little discomfort (i.e., slipping on sidewalks) has hurt people, even young and fit people, in the form of broken/cracked bones and torn muscles and lawsuits.

Too true. I once slipped and whacked the back of my head, and wandered around the wrong street for awhile looking for my house.

I'm all for community building, but I'm not quite sure I agree with this point. I was out shoveling out cars for roommates this morning, and people I saw were having trouble both shoveling and driving.

And with the amount of absentee landlords who don't shovel walks and students who don't feel it's their job to do it since they only rent, there's going to be a lot that's not getting shoveled. I don't pretend to speak for everyone else, but I don't think it's better this way.

It's ALWAYS a thick sheet of ice on the sidewalk of this multifamily... You just cannot walk there. Talk about absentee landlords.

Have you submit a complaint to 311?

Can I submit a complaint about icy sidewalks? I mean, does anybody listen to 311 complaints these days?

If you go to the online 311 system ( http://citizen.somervillema.intelligovsoftware.com/ ) you can request city services, and one of the links is to report unshoveled walks.

I had thought that the rule was that if there was a storm warning (6 + inches in 24 hours) that they had to do an emergency. But nothing has happened and it's definitely more than 4 inches out there. I've seen plows a few times (we're off of North Street in the Teele area) but the cars on both sides of the street are definitely impeding them and making the drifts at street intersections that people tend to get stuck in far more pronounced.

Thankfully I also have awesome neighbors who live on those corners who have actually been clearing those drifts, but I don't envy them, while I do appreciate their charity.

The Somerville website says, "A snow emergency will be declared when four or more inches of snow are predicted." Several forecasts predicted more than four inches today and (if I remember correctly) more than six inches after tonight, so definitely more than six over the course of a 24 hour period. Again, I'm confused why a snow emergency was declared.

I'm not upset, of course. There do seem to be trucks out there plowing, and people don't have to worry about re-parking (yet). It just seems odd, especially when you consider how on the ball they've been so far this winter.

I just tried to edit my comment as you replied to it :)

I found this:

http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/SnowBrochureFinal.pdf

and it says what you've said. The fact that there was a winter storm warning indicates that there was an expected 6 or more possible inches, which usually starts an emergency right away due to liability. Perhaps the person who calls emergencies is vacationing somewhere warm? Or, perhaps like what happened in my home town a few times, they're out of budget for plowing (doubtful, but it happened..) Either way, people are going to be plowed in worse than usual, especially with the snow continuing through tonight and into tomorrow AM.

Why not exploit this "volunteer" thing and save some money? There were definitely many forecasts predicting more than 4 inches in the area.

A longer message explaining why no snow emergency has been declared is available elsewhere on DSLJ.

Please note that the city's snow removal resources are fully deployed despite the absence of a declaration. Funding and staffing are not issues.

Please also note that, at the request of DPW officials, the Somerville Police have ordered some tagging and towing of vehicles parked within 20 feet of an intersection. This measure was taken in those areas where snow plows could not obtain access to a street in order to plow.

Police cruisers used their PA systems to alert neighborhoods in which tagging and towing under the 20-foot rule had to be enforced.

Thanks for the info!

They may be fully deployed, but they have not removed the snow around here and I have not heard a single snow removing vehicle yet...

The plows have been going down my road all day today. I drove to Canton earlier today and honestly, Somerville was much better off street-wise than 93/95 and Canton.

they actually plowed our road several times today, which is odd, because in the last 2 snowstorms, i doubt they plowed it even once...so i feel your pain.

it's much better off here than in arlington, though...we just drove through and even mass ave wasn't at all well plowed.

I still don't understand why they don't just post No Parking signs 20 feet from corners, particurlarly in the spots where big vehicles have gotten stuck in the past. It would save everyone a whole lot of grief.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why no snow emergency?

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moved my car anyway

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'cuz they run out of money...

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Something to do on National Service Day!

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... And therefore you deserve it!

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Belmont St #18 and #20...

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I'm telling you. They are out of money for snow removal.

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