Here we go again! (More snow stuff.)

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Are we to assume that there will not be a snow emergency declared since one hasn't been so far? Perhaps, like last time, the emergency happened without enough warning, which is a very silly thing for an emergency to do.

While looking at the city's website to see if they mentioned this, I saw that they'd posted a reminder a few days ago about how residents aren't allowed to reserve parking spaces and chairs, etc. will be declared abandoned property and junked. I'm all for this practice, but I was just wondering if it's ever actually enforced*, as they claim.

*enforced by the city, not by militia-like townspeople

Comments

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

I'm all for this practice, but I was just wondering if it's ever actually enforced

Yes, it's enforced - I've seen DPW going around with their trucks, picking the stuff up.

They took the walker someone was using to mark a spot.

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I'm tempted to stick an old computer monitor out there and see what happens...

"That spot with the old refrigerator in it...that's mine!"

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting idea!

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

But they take computer monitors away for free now.

I have an old air conditioner...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'll give it a try.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

lol seriously! i've got a microwave in the back of my car that i'll probably never take out and use...

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

DPW is the only city service I actually enjoy using!

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's enforced. They don't just say it for the fun of it after all. That said it won't magically happen on every single street at once at *boom* 10pm tonight.

If they didn't call one during the workday, they probably won't call one tonight at all.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

not really enough snow to justify an emergency, i'd think. unless the storm unexpectedly turns back and sits on top of us for a while.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

I was on the way to my office recently and noticed that one of the streets in my neighborhood had a lot of chairs and other objects "parked" where cars should be. I called city hall's hotline and the friendly person who answered said they'd be delighted to remove these items. On my way home a few hours later, I noticed that all of the chairs etc were gone. So, I'm guessing they enforced it.

While a few free chairs might have been a nice addition to my kitchen, I didn't have the time to go collect them.

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

Man, I wish they would do this in Boston.

The trashmen don't even collect the junk in the street on trash day like they're supposed to.

[ron_newman]

As far as I can tell, there is no snow emergency. No post here by somerville311, no Tom Champion robo-call, no blinking blue light in Davis Square.

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

"Tom Champion Robo-Call" is too good to waste. Band name? Tom Champion Robo-Calling contest? Video game?

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

We need a searchlight on top of City Hall so they can send up the Tom Champion Signal when there's an emergency....

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Mos def. It should project a huge image of Tom Champion onto every surface for miles and miles.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

It's probably the same situation as last time.

A snow emergency must be declared n hours before snow is expected to start falling so people have time to move their cars, etc.

I imagine the forecast changed too late for them to do anything about it.

[ron_newman]

Plus, this just wasn't very much snow.

[mistresshellena.livejournal.com]

It was more than enough to bring London to a grinding halt. ;)

[ron_newman]

What, they got the same snowstorm we did?

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

I read that London got a total of 8 inches, at least.

[mistresshellena.livejournal.com]

They got it on Sunday/Monday. Near white out conditions. They haven't had that much snow in 18 years. It made the news here even.

Non-Emergency

[somerville311.livejournal.com]

Forecasts varied significantly on how much snow would fall, and when it would stop.

No area community declared an emergency or canceled school. As of 11 p.m. last night, after 13 hours of snowfall, National Weather Service reported an accumulation of 4.3 inches of relatively dry, light snow -- only slightly exceeding the minimum threshold for declaring an emergency.

The snow accumulation was very gradual and did not "stick" to local roadways, in part because DPW maintained sanding and salting operations throughout the snow event, with plowing in some areas as needed.

City officials teleconferenced at 8 p.m. Monday night and at 6 a.m., 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday. They concluded that, with school open and normal business activity under way, calling an afternoon or evening snow emergency would create more problems than it would solve. Many residents would have been at work and not able to move their cars until after 7 p.m., and the emergency would have had to be lifted early enough to get cars out of school lots by 7 a.m. and out of municipal lots by 8 a.m. this morning.

For all these reasons, the Mayor chose not to call a snow emergency, but extra DPW workers were called for the evening shift and worked into the early morning hours to condition the City's roads.

Please note that the City does not depend on any single weather forecasting source, but consults NOAA/NWS, Weather.com, AccuWeather and local media meteorologists. Perhaps the most detailed non-subscription analysis of the forecasting process may be found here:

http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=BOX&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1&highlight=off