About That Snow Removal Pledge...

The mayor went all out to capitalize on the first real snowstorm after gaining full control over the politics and power in the city.

Played chase with Tim Pamplin on Channel 4 News through Twitter, even. After which the faceless reporter declared a victory on Duggan's part.


So...why would EMS have trouble getting to this home near City Airport?! One poor 12-year-old will never know the answer to that.

"Sources say unplowed streets made it hard for EMS vehicles to get to the home."

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/1...-fire/31129402

To be honest our street did get plowed but know many others that didn't.

My credit union is in the New Center area. The streets around there are somewhat plowed, meaning the center & inner lanes are plowed. You have one lane open for driving. Good luck parking on the street though. The outer lanes & parking lanes are where the snow was plowed into. The sidewalks are hit or miss.

Same in my neighborhood - parking is a nightmare and you have to hope you don't have to pull over for a vehicle coming the other way. There are no driveways in this area, so cars have no alternative but to park on the street and the snow plows did their duty, right? Just ran down the middle and left the piles in front of the parked cars. So when drivers had to dig out, the snow went right back into the middle. We did, however, get salted - heavily salted.

The contractors did the best they could with the hand they were dealt as far as snow plowing. It's very hard to properly clear snow on a street lined with parked cars, and a snow emergency would have been impossible to enforce.

That said, I don't understand why there hasn't been at least an attempt made to go back over the streets once more [[specifically the entrances that weren't plowed) and also salt them. Perhaps if we had a competent COO running things, this would happen...

Then again, I have to remind myself we are in Detroit. Expectations must be kept very low. I wasn't expecting them to do any snow clean up quite frankly...

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Originally Posted by preserve

Same in my neighborhood - parking is a nightmare and you have to hope you don't have to pull over for a vehicle coming the other way. There are no driveways in this area, so cars have no alternative but to park on the street and the snow plows did their duty, right? Just ran down the middle and left the piles in front of the parked cars. So when drivers had to dig out, the snow went right back into the middle. We did, however, get salted - heavily salted.

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Does your neighborhood still use your Alleyways?

I think the city did as good a job as they could clearing the snow within a reasonable time frame.

But if they can have trucks ready to respond to a twitter feed and make good PR on the eleven o'clock news...why can't they have a truck with a blade ready when the fire department can't get through a street?! Hell, they should have salt trucks ready to treat roads recently made wet with fighting a fire, while they're at it.

It is the same type of feedback mechanism, just needs to be assigned the same [[or actually higher) priority. Although, it gets weird when there are jurisdiction concerns...some roads are county responsibilities.

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Originally Posted by 313WX

That said, I don't understand why there hasn't been at least an attempt made to go back over the streets once more [[specifically the entrances that weren't plowed) and also salt them.

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I was thinking about that on the drive this morning...the dangers on the road today linger from Monday...where private contractors shoved snow ONTO the street, there are lanes blocked. Like, on Lafayette where it is a boulevard through the park area...I'd like to have those contractors fined fiercely...the second lane suddenly has a mountain of icy snow blocking it! Heard on WDET earlier that it is illegal to put snow onto public roads and sidewalks, sure would like to see that enforced.

Also where the public workers efforts overlapped, like where Chene northbound turns onto Vernor...and where cars were parked during the first clearing...since they are putting the trucks out for salt, surely, why can't they drop a blade and open things up some?

ugh...

Curious to see that the news article has been significantly rewritten, and no longer contains the line I quoted in the first post. Now, the fire department arrived and immediately went to work. Sounds like someone set the author straight...probably Detroit Fire Chief Robert Volgay, because you just KNOW he was at the scene at nearly five in the morning. He was probably having coffee with the snow dudes...on their snow job.

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Originally Posted by 313WX

The contractors did the best they could with the hand they were dealt as far as snow plowing. It's very hard to properly clear snow on a street lined with parked cars, and a snow emergency would have been impossible to enforce...

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all they need to do is start towing. It was amazing how quick the cars got moved in my neighborhood after the first one got towed. Cars that hadn't moved in six months were suddenly moved.

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Originally Posted by Gpwrangler

all they need to do is start towing. It was amazing how quick the cars got moved in my neighborhood after the first one got towed. Cars that hadn't moved in six months were suddenly moved.

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Funny you sound like my Dad who has gone from this earth 23 years. Drove him wild when folks parked on the street.

There are a variety of reasons for parking on the street, some good some not so much. When we lived in the cabbage patch many homes had no garage [[alley access} or driveways. GPP did a great job clearing streets, sidewalks etc. Lots of funny stories about parking disputes though.

I possibly have the only viable garage in the neighborhood, rebuilt last summer. I still park on the street, as do all neighbors who have cars. Three excellent reasons for doing that.

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Originally Posted by 313WX

The contractors did the best they could with the hand they were dealt as far as snow plowing. It's very hard to properly clear snow on a street lined with parked cars, and a snow emergency would have been impossible to enforce.

That said, I don't understand why there hasn't been at least an attempt made to go back over the streets once more [[specifically the entrances that weren't plowed) and also salt them. Perhaps if we had a competent COO running things, this would happen...

Then again, I have to remind myself we are in Detroit. Expectations must be kept very low. I wasn't expecting them to do any snow clean up quite frankly...

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I don't have low expectations and you shouldn't either. Our police, EMS, firefighters are the best. Our community stays engaged and it pays off.

If I recall properly, anything over 6 inches the city vowed to plow a 10 ft swatch. Too many streets aren't on the radar yet. Call, bitch, attend the local meetings. It really does pay off.

As to a different question you asked, our alley is paved and viable, my garage is alley access. The trucks delivering to nursing homes block our alley which is another reason why we park on the street

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Originally Posted by sumas

I don't have low expectations and you shouldn't either. Our police, EMS, firefighters are the best. Our community stays engaged and it pays off.

If I recall properly, anything over 6 inches the city vowed to plow a 10 ft swatch. Too many streets aren't on the radar yet. Call, bitch, attend the local meetings. It really does pay off.

As to a different question you asked, our alley is paved and viable, my garage is alley access. The trucks delivering to nursing homes block our alley which is another reason why we park on the street

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Maybe it's just different perspectives and experiences then, but a couple thoughts:

1. Until the Duggan administration took over, I don't recall snow removing happening anywhere in the city, aside from maybe downtown since the end of the Kilpatrick administration. I know Coleman Young made a big deal of it in the 1970s/early 1980s when we were hit by so many big snowstorms [[thus the conversion of a lot of streets to one ways).

But otherwise, anyone I talk to [[who's not from the suburbs and has only lived in the neighborhoods) is shocked to hear that any snow removal of the neighborhood streets is happening. In fact, there was a huge issue during the 1999 Blizzard because Mayor Archer had no plans on the city removing the snow in the wake of that storm [[granted, Detroit didn't see any more *BIG* snowstorm until the 1999 Blizzard since the early 1980s).

So understandably, people's expectations will be to the floor when it comes to anything "positive" happening in the city.

BTW, I doubt my side of town [[NE DEtroit) is off anyone's radar as you imply, given that it's one of the densest areas in the city. And in fact, NO part of the city where residents live should be off anyone's radar at CAYMC, and if any part of the city is so unfortunate to not be on the radar when concerning service delivery, that's again the fault of an incompetent COO for failing to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the logistics of the huge city they're overseeing before drawing up these "plans" that will impact the people who are receiving these services.

2. It's good to know that your block still uses its Alleyway. That said, most of the city does not these days [[with the exceptions of areas in SW Detroit). In fact, on my side of town [[NE DEtroit), the alleyways haven't been functional for several decades. Thus, for a lot of folks without driveways and who own multiple cars with a corner house, they have nowhere else to put their car[[s) other than on the street. So clearly, resident can't expect streets to be cleared properly when snow plows and salt trucks have to maneuver around their parked cars on the street. Also, declaring a snow emergency and issuing ticket would not be practical because of so many residents who have no other choice but to park their cars on the street.

3. As far as your claim about our police, EMS and our firefighters being the best, again, I have yet to see this myself between their department being filled with so much corruption from the top to the bottom and the severe lack of funding they've been getting to function properly. I'm sure in theory, the police/firefighters/EMS want the best for the community they serve. And while this theory was probably proven to be accurate once upon a time when Detroit was a completely different city, I just haven't seen this theory put into action on a large and effective scale lately as of yet.

I so agree 313, underfunded is an under statement. Saddly I do remember a different Detroit. Aging out I guess.

Thank you for a detailed response. It shows you care about Detroit in general. We did write grants, a few years back and cleared a few city debris covered alleys in our hood.

Of course you are right about lack of options for many residents as to choice of parking. My personal vehicle is down the street in a neighbors driveway. Permission was granted.

My pastor wanted to visit and we only shoveled out our easement. Used to take care of our adored neighbors curb but frankly don't want her driving anymore. Neither does her family. Their decision. She can't hardly walk and fear she will fall. So she is effectively snowed in. Sounds a bit mean but we love her. Still shovel her snow and cut her grass, she thinks her son does it, which is ok. Everyone deserves a son like she has.

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Originally Posted by sumas

Funny you sound like my Dad who has gone from this earth 23 years. Drove him wild when folks parked on the street.

There are a variety of reasons for parking on the street, some good some not so much. When we lived in the cabbage patch many homes had no garage [[alley access} or driveways. GPP did a great job clearing streets, sidewalks etc. Lots of funny stories about parking disputes though.

I possibly have the only viable garage in the neighborhood, rebuilt last summer. I still park on the street, as do all neighbors who have cars. Three excellent reasons for doing that.

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I don't mind neighbors parking in the street but GP hits all streets at least twice after a snowstorm, and I hate having to maneuver around my neighbors' car museums after they plow. If they're not going to enforce the snow emergency they need to do away with the law.

All my my neighbors have driveways [[I understand the Cabbage Patch parking constraints) and 2 car garages but can't seem to use them because their kids suck at backing up or the garage is full of hoarded stuff, but that's a story for another thread.

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Originally Posted by Gpwrangler

I don't mind neighbors parking in the street but GP hits all streets at least twice after a snowstorm, and I hate having to maneuver around my neighbors' car museums after they plow. If they're not going to enforce the snow emergency they need to do away with the law.

All my my neighbors have driveways [[I understand the Cabbage Patch parking constraints) and 2 car garages but can't seem to use them because their kids suck at backing up or the garage is full of hoarded stuff, but that's a story for another thread.

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I would adore a thread on hoarding. I keep trying to get rid of stuff, its good stuff and I don't want tax deductions. Our youngest was over the other day and asked for dust collectors. I could not package them quick enough.

Yes I have seen those attached garages filled with junk. It is unsightly. Then they leave them open, why?

my street and many nearby remain unplowed. It's pretty awful.

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Originally Posted by Hypestyles

my street and many nearby remain unplowed. It's pretty awful.

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Call, bitch, screem! Ombudsman, neighborhood rep, mayors office. Now I feel awful. Worrying about getting out, much less into neighborhoods is scary. We were promised cetain services so demand them.

And the problem now is that all of the streets that were only partially plowed - ie, only one lane open - will stay that way the rest of the winter. Due to the warm temps this weekend, and now back to freezing temps this morning, all of the ruts, snow piles, snow piled up in sidewalks and side of the road and in parking spaces have frozen solid. They are there until April.

At least we're not Boston. They're having to melt the snow they've had just to make room for more! That machine can melt 350 tons of snow per hour. I didn't know such things exist.

Boston rushes to remove snow ahead of long-duration storm

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Originally Posted by JoeGeds

And the problem now is that all of the streets that were only partially plowed - ie, only one lane open - will stay that way the rest of the winter. Due to the warm temps this weekend, and now back to freezing temps this morning, all of the ruts, snow piles, snow piled up in sidewalks and side of the road and in parking spaces have frozen solid. They are there until April.

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One problem is city contractors hire sub contractors who only have a six foot plow. Sub contractors are not city and don't much care. Reality sucks. Happy we had that bit of plowing

Melting snow here would just add to problems, sewers haven't been mucked out in years. Have a neighbor that does that so we don't flood on our block. Not everyone has such great neighbors