Snow emergency, move cars by 4 am

[ron_newman]

(I don't know why the city is doing all of this for a minor little storm, but here it is)

Hello, this is Meghann Ackerman from the City of Somerville with important snow-related information that we suspect everyone was hoping to never hear again. A snow emergency has been declared effective starting at midnight tonight, Friday, Feb. 5. To avoid getting a ticket or towed, please move your vehicle to the odd-side of the street or a city or school parking lot by 4 a.m., unless otherwise posted. You may begin parking in municipal lots immediately.

Property owners are also reminded that snow and ice must be cleared from sidewalks, to a width of 36 inches, within 6 daylight hours after snowfall ends.

Somerville Public Schools will be closed on Friday, Feb. 5, and all Recreation Dept. programming will be canceled. Libraries will remain open and trash and recycling collection remains on a normal schedule.

For more information about Somerville’s snow policies and a map of snow parking lots, please visit http://www.somervillema.gov/snow. If you have a non-emergency question or service request, please call 311 (or 617-666-3311 from cellphones or from outside the city). In case of emergency dial 911.

Comments

[sairaali.livejournal.com]

I don't know why the city is doing all of this for a minor little storm, but here it is

PTSD from last winter?

[enhf94.livejournal.com]

My understanding from a city employee ten years ago was that in general, the city prefers to overprescribe plowing when there's no hardpack on the streets yet, because the longer the city can go keep fully plowed without hardpack berms, the easier, cleaner and cheaper it is to plow overall. Obviously, policies may have changed significantly since I heard that information.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

a) Possibly

b) I find I no longer remember what a normal winter is like. Is six inches low or higher? 12? I dunno.

c) I think the forecast jumped from "3-5 inches late Friday night" to "6-10 inches right now"; 3 inches sounds like minor little storm, 10 not so much.