Snow emergency
Jan. 28th, 2004 10:15 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
easy-wind.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
davis_squareIf you are as outraged as me about the City of Somerville handing out $50 parking tickets for violating a snow emergency when... THERE WASN'T A FLAKE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, I encourage you to write to Mayor Curtatone to express your views:
JCurtatone@ci.somerville.ma.us
JCurtatone@ci.somerville.ma.us
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the new snow emergency policy
Date: 2004-01-28 08:15 am (UTC)The text, for those who aren't in the mood to follow the link:
City of Somerville Snow Emergency Plan
Please be advised of a new snow emergency plan effective immediately. It is every resident’s responsibility to know when a
snow emergency is declared and when it has been lifted. You may find this information on the local television and radio channels, as well as 15 and 16, and Somerville Community Access Television. The following policy will be strictly enforced during a declared
snow emergency:
• A snow emergency may be declared whenever 4 or more inches are predicted to fall. It will be called 6 hours before a storm is predicted to begin.
• Somerville police will announce from their vehicles that residents have 4 hours to move their cars to the odd side of the street. Parking on the even side of the street during a snow emergency is strictly prohibited, unless otherwise posted.
• Towing will commence IMMEDIATELY after the 4-hour period has elapsed.
• Plowing will begin after 2 inches of snow has fallen. Main roads, cross town streets, bus routes, and “hospital hills” will
be done first. The intent of the city is to plow wherever possible, up to the curb.
• If you do not have access to off-street parking, residents may use the following locations during a snow emergency.
Schools:
• Ward 1 East Somerville Community School and Michael E. Capuano School
• Ward 2 Lincoln Park Community School
• Ward 3 Cummings School
• Ward 4 Healey School
• Ward 5 Brown School and Kennedy School
• Ward 6 Powder House Community School
• Ward 7 West Somerville Neighborhood School
Municipal Buildings and Lots:
• City Hall Concourse
• Central Library
• West Branch Library
• (All Municipal metered parking lots)
After the snow emergency has been lifted, your vehicle must be removed from the above locations within two hours. Vehicles are subject to towing after that time period.
*The intent of this severe snow policy is not to create inconvenience for Somerville residents, but rather to ensure traffic runs smoothly and safety precautions are in place across the city in the event of a snowstorm. The city is confident this plan will ultimately result in residents receiving better government services in the event of a snowstorm. Thank you for your
cooperation."
Re: the new snow emergency policy
Date: 2004-01-28 08:28 am (UTC)It's all about the money.
Re: the new snow emergency policy
Date: 2004-01-28 08:57 am (UTC)I also think that if they ticket or tow you because of a storm that's supposedly coming 6 hours from the time of the announcement, but it never actually snows (or hardly snows at all), they should waive the fee, or at least cut it in half.
The other thing that gets me about the costs of various types of tickets in Somerville is that they're even more expensive than the same types of parking infractions in Cambridge! I like Somerville, but it's not all that, y'know? There is no good reason that a parking infraction that would cost me $15 in Cambridge should cost me $25 or $30 in Somerville.
Re: the new snow emergency policy
Date: 2004-01-28 09:41 am (UTC)Re: the new snow emergency policy
Date: 2004-01-28 11:31 am (UTC)Re: the new snow emergency policy
Date: 2004-01-29 06:10 am (UTC)Do the powers that be realize the population density here is among the highest in the nation? For Christ's sake have a little compassion. Curtatone entered office running, cutting back on personal use of city vehicles, collecting city cell phones. He is a hard ass who likes to make headlines. Well now he's made the Globe. For being a jerk off. Maybe next time he'll learn there is a place in local government for moderation and compassion.
On a personal note, the streetcleaners don't exactly make the streets all that clean. I think once a month (except in the case of, say, a ticker tape parade) would be more than enough.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 11:53 am (UTC)If, for some reason, you were physically unable to move your car when the emergency was declared, you have my full sympathy. If you weren't aware of the weather forecasts, or didn't know what to do in case of a snow emergency, or just didn't bother, you have my limited sympathy.
Fortunately, if you are in possession of weather forecast technology allowing the city at 10:00 PM on Tuesday to perfectly predict the amount of snowfall as of 10:00 AM on Wednesday, I'm certain you can sell it for a lot more than $50.
ok
Date: 2004-01-28 12:13 pm (UTC)but the real point is that someville should not be ticketing cars for a "snow emergency" when there isn't a flake of snow on the ground. that's really all that matters here.
and for the record, my car didn't get ticketed, i'm just a concerned citizen.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 01:01 pm (UTC)Sorry, they knew last night it wasn't going to snow
Date: 2004-01-28 01:36 pm (UTC)Cambridge didn't declare an emergency at all...neither did Boston. I spoke with people in their snow emergency departments today and they said they never declare an emergency before the snow starts falling.
Somerville ticketed between 2000 and 3000 cars, according to a parking official. That's more than $100,000 for the city. Some cars were towed. Somerville has never before declared an emergency prior to a snowfall. This is only about getting some money for the City.
Those of you who don't own cars or park in driveways should be concerned, too. It's a sign of what this mayor thinks he's going to be able to get away with.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 05:25 pm (UTC)Some cars were towed.
This is true. Coming home at 11:00 PM last night, I saw so many police cars and tow trucks in front of Somerville hospital that I thought some major disaster had happened.
Somerville has never before declared an emergency prior to a snowfall.
This is factually inaccurate. They certainly have declared snow emergencies before the snow starts coming down. Just earlier this winter, the police cars were driving around with their squawking loudspeakers before snow actually hit.
Yes, this may have made a lot of money for the city. Maybe declaring an emergency so far in advance of a snowfall is just a money-making ploy. If so, it's no less annoying than Cambridge dispatching metermaids on New Year's day to ticket people for newly-expired resident stickers. But given that the forecast at the time they announced the emergency was for six to twelve inches of snow, I consider it a reasonable decision.
Re: Sorry, they knew last night it wasn't going to snow
Date: 2004-01-28 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-29 07:18 am (UTC)I'm all for that! Somebody on my street yesterday actually "reserved" himself a space. In less than two inches of snow!
no subject
Date: 2004-01-29 04:15 am (UTC)Whenever there's *any* chance of snow *at all* I try to make sure I'm on the even side of the street... just in case.
Re:
Date: 2004-01-29 04:15 am (UTC)We're in the news
Date: 2004-01-29 05:13 am (UTC)An article in today's Globe about this issue.
Our mayor looks like a bull-headed idiot. The decision to go ahead with snow emergency ticketing and towing even as the weather report was changing was ill-advised. It demonstrates very poor decision-making skills. And the mayor's unapologetic, and, frankly, rude attitude yesterday (to the news media and on behalf of the person representing him on the phone when I called) shows that he doesn't have conflict resolution skills either.
I'm contesting the ticket---I think a lot of people will be. The tickets aren't even valid when you look at the winter parking regulations (on the Somerville web site http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/, in the "traffic and parking" department site).
There it states:
"A snow emergency fine is $50. A citation is issued for the following violations:
* Obstruction of a snowplow.
* Parking within 10 feet of a fire hydrant or designated fire zone.
* Parking within 20 feet of an intersection."
As there were no snowplows on the road last night, I can't see how I was obstructing one.
As for whether a snow emergency has been called before snow fell, I was going on what my neighbor who has lived in Somerville for 50 years said. Maybe that's wrong. Perhaps what he meant was that they have never given out tickets and towed cars before any snow fell. Hauntmeister, if there is a time when the city has done THAT before, I hope you'll fill me in. It doesn't seem to me that there's any precedent for this. It is not consistent enforcement, as the mayor is claiming it is.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-29 07:23 am (UTC)That might well be the case. Maybe in the past the city has "declared" the emergency before snow starts coming down, but just didn't take any actions to enforce it. They started aggressively towing for street cleaning last fall, too. It used to be just a ticket, now it's a trip to Pat's Tow. Definitely a revenue-enhancement decision.
Re:
Date: 2004-01-29 10:50 am (UTC)