Anyone notice that it's snowing?

Ishtar I am usually the first to commend the City after a snowstorm but this time they truly dropped the ball. Whether the Sanitation wanted to get even with Bloomberg for budget cuts or whether they just dragged their ass too long - this is a true clusterfuck!

In 1996 we had a much worse blizzard and within 24 hours secondary and tertiary streets had been plowed and salted.

Also homeowners PLEASE AT LEAST MAKE A PATH. If you are a tenant and your landlord hasn't done it yet please be the bigger person and just shovel a small path.

It is times like this that just make me love my neighbors and this neighborhood even more. I watch all of these people helping strangers over the snow mounds. Grabbing my hand to make sure I don't slip, clearing paths at the corners so foot traffic can move.

For Once I Like Marty Markowitz: He stood up for Brooklyn

He was on the Eyewitness News, being a badass defending Brooklyn and yelling that we need our streets cleaned. He was a bit intense but I like that he is a public official demanding that something be done. In the end I have no car, I just want the subways and busses running.

BTW.. another good quote I heard, "you cut back services, and this is what happens"

Report your snow related difficulties to the New York City Council.

http://council.nyc.gov/html/action_center/blizzard2010.shtml

Would you come back from vacation, armchair? LOL I know I wouldn't and upon return I wouldn't feel the least bit bad. Most of the streets where I live couldn't get plowed because plows got stuck OR cars were blocking plows. I saw and heard the plows making passes for a few hours and then it stopped. Once I got outside I saw why. I think it's funny that folks are wondering why a snow emegency wasn't declared, especially considering how many idiots thought it was even remotely okay to drive in that type of storm. I lived in a midwest state that gets this much snow with nearly every winter storm and people NEVER drove in that type of weather.

I grew up in Rochester, New York, a city which was accustomed to frequent snow storms, and thus had way more snow plows than taxicabs.

Most drivers had snow tires on their cars in winter (more effective on snow and ice than all-season tires); back then it was even legal to have metal-studded snow tires.

People in Rochester drove their cars even in the worst storms. When I first moved to NYC, in the late-60's, there was a once-in-a-century snowstorm. I had to get out to Kennedy Airport, and my car still had the studded snow tires. On the way out to the airport, I passed a number of snow plows that had gotten stuck in the snow, but because of those tires I had no trouble at all.

The news just had interviews with a large local plow agency that has a fleet of plows ready to help if only the state would contacted them, they are ready to clear the streets and they are reaching out to officials with no replies. Just interesting.

More importantly has anyone even talked about the hot mess at the Airports? They need to step up the clean up! Yo! My friends are stuck in all parts of the US trying to get home to NYC since SUNDAY!!

Washington Guard mobilized for snow removal Article

I guess if the City called the National Guard they would have to admit that they don't have the ability to do the work? But that is quite evident by all the unplowed and inaccessible streets in Prospect & Crown Heights 3 days after the storm?

More news of inaction by sanitation dept:

http://gothamist.com/2010/12/29/were_sanitation_workers_slower_duri.php

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/nyregion/28plow.html?_r=2&hp

And as a result of above mentioned inaction people have lost lives:

http://gothamist.com/2010/12/29/tragic_tales_of_too-late_emergency.php

A similar discussion is also on in this thread:

http://brooklynian.com/forum/prospect-heights/snow-plowing-on-prospect-place

CRIKEY!!! Here I am sitting in sunny Australia (well kinda; we have floods up one end of the country and a major bushfire alert at the other) enjoying the summer and here I am reading about snow plows, salt, digging out vehicles, warning about possible danger to pets while out walking, people looking for shops which are open, muggers stealing jackets off big bloke's backs, City front-end loaders demolishing Fords and all kinds of strange stuff! It's like another world (or country even)! We have none of that down under even in our 'high' country in the depths of winter. I almost want to be in Brooklyn now just to experience it all. But seriously, I know that it can be a real pain in the butt for everyone, so my warmest (in more ways than one) thoughts are with all Brooklynians.