Snow removal with limited city budgets

[ja!mz]

How do you think this years winter storms will be cleaned up with every city having budget issues? There hasn't been much press about salt/snow plowing budgets being worse this year. I know in Warren we hardly even saw a salt truck last year, and plowing and salting of county roads was limited.

[Funaho]

Seeing as when they do "plow" they tear down my street without warning and block my car doors with a 3-4 foot pile of compacted snow and ice, I'd prefer if they just left things alone altogether this year.

[Danny]

With a La Nina winter coming dumping up to 3 feet of snow in Metro-Detroit area. budget cut is not just going to plow all of snow from the streets.

[wolverine]

Well I guess it's either deal with what you have or there's always that shrinking Detroit plan as an option. Choices...choices....

[Hermod]

When I was growing up in Detroit in the 1940s, they would plow Whittier, Harper, Kelly, and Morang. The side streets like Nottingham, Beaconsfield, Grayton, and Yorkshire were not plowed and once you got snow cover, remained a mix of hardpacked snow and ice until the spring thaw,

[Fnemecek]

How do you think this years winter storms will be cleaned up with every city having budget issues?

<sarcasm on>

Haven't you heard?

It's not an issue at all. We're going to get through this with no problems what so ever. Anyone who is worried about the increase in snow fall, coupled with a declining ability to deal with it, is just some kind of fear mongering socialist.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?p=200419

<sarcasm off>

[douglasm]

Having just helped putting together a small town budget that's still 50k out of wack, snow removal IS a big issue. In our little town of 900 [[with revenues shrinking each of the past 3 years) 100 hours of overtime x2 employees [[about 6k) is a big thing. A bad winter and it will approach the point were plowing decisions may not be made on need but dollars.

I would hate to have to multiply that decision by a city the size of Detroit. Or even Ferndale for that matter......

[wolverine]

I wonder if there's anyone with a plow mounted to a pick-up willing to do the jobs for free or at least at a cheap cost that can clear a couple streets. If anyone can help where they can.

[Gannon]

Having just helped putting together a small town budget that's still 50k out of wack, snow removal IS a big issue. In our little town of 900 [[with revenues shrinking each of the past 3 years) 100 hours of overtime x2 employees [[about 6k) is a big thing. A bad winter and it will approach the point were plowing decisions may not be made on need but dollars.

I would hate to have to multiply that decision by a city the size of Detroit. Or even Ferndale for that matter......

Why does it have to be OVERtime? Why cannot this be their regularly scheduled work time?! Heck, we all love flextime...and some revel in being heroes. I know a guy who worked for little running a tow truck, he got his satisfaction helping others in need.

Oh wait...they only get $30 per hour in OVERTIME? LOL...whoa. There goes the myth of overpaid city workers. I assume these guys have a bit of seniority? Installers at hifi stores earn $20 per hour after they're trained and self-sufficient. Or are hifi installers now considered overpaid in this economy?


Why not start a volunteer snow removal force, then?! Driving in the snow HAS to be more easily trained than fighting fires. There is no rocket science involved, just the fortitude to face the elements when most people would rather stay by the fireplace.


Cheers

[Gannon]

Tonight's first minor snowfall yielded at least one roll-over on I-94 eastbound tonight, just before Livernois. Didn't stick around to see if the salt trucks had been deployed, but there was black ice all over the freeway with fucking idiots driving like they were late for Opening Day for the Tigers.


Why don't we just stop all road clearing completely? If Darwin is right, we'll have an easier next couple of winters as the herd is culled.


Where's that sarcasm smiley?!


Cheers, hope the people in that car on its side are ok.

[Magnatomicflux]

I wonder if there's anyone with a plow mounted to a pick-up willing to do the jobs for free or at least at a cheap cost that can clear a couple streets. If anyone can help where they can.

I don't know about Detroit, but I'm pretty sure here in Windsor you're not allowed to plow a city street with your personal vehicle. I'm sure it's a union thing, fair enough. Probably a liability to the city as well. But if I had a truck/plow...I'd just do it to get the snow out of my own damn way, people can follow my lane if they like


Does Detroit put plows on garbage trucks? They're out there already anyways. Not plowing during their route, the starting and stopping all the time would make it difficult. But if a team of them get together to do major suface streets for an hour or 2 before their route starts, maybe it would help? Then the real plows can plow and salt the freeways. I think New York does that with the garbage trucks, but I'm not completely sure about that.

[Gannon]

The folks I know with snowblades will drag them for friends, but the wear and tear from broken-down streets will make their investment fade away.

Heck, I'd put blades on buses...cop cars...cow-catchers on fire trucks...oh wait, this isn't Buffalo...or now London!

[Meddle]

Yeah, but Britain could be a player in the costs this year. They're shipping salt in from wherever they can find it, which will help drive the costs up.

[Magnatomicflux]

The folks I know with snowblades will drag them for friends, but the wear and tear from broken-down streets will make their investment fade away.

Heck, I'd put blades on buses...cop cars...cow-catchers on fire trucks...oh wait, this isn't Buffalo...or now London!

I'd go completely nuts being on a freeway for 11 hours.

[douglasm]

Why not a volunteer group of snowplows? Liability issues, among others. Some yahoo with a blade hits your car, who pays? Same yahoo takes out a hunk of curb, who replaces it?

As to overtime, you ever try to schedule a snowfall? They don't come between 9 and 5, weekdays. Out here we had both [[remember, it's a small town) plows out Christmas Day.

[Gannon]

GPP had their salt trucks out at 4 a.m. this morning.

Just giving a report from a functioning city.

I didn't get the chance to ask the guy what he earns, though.