The Roads Here Are A Mess...

The BBQ Pit
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I’m in Michigan, and we had a bad snowstorm last night.

Now, I’m not going to start a Pit thread about snow. Snow happens, and as much as I’d like to make it all go away, I can’t do dick about it.

I can bitch about our roads, though, and the fact that after 36 hours, my neighborhood still hasn’t been plowed out.

Most of the county shut down today, including my place of business, which happens to be City Hall. Here in my city, the mayor decides when the roads will get attention. The main roads have been plowed. The side streets have not.

The side streets rarely get plowed. I’ve lived in this neigborhood for nine years, and they’ve been plowed less than ten times. If we get salt, we’re damn lucky.

Closing City Hall today was a wise decision, because most of the employees more than likely couldn’t get out of their driveways. But how the hell are we supposed to get there tomorrow, Mr. Mayor? You still haven’t had the neighborhoods plowed. Your employees live in the neighborhoods, assmunch.

We’re supposed to get more snow tomorrow, too. While I can’t say that I mind staying home from work because of the weather, I was supposed to go to a visitation today, for friend of mine that passed away last Friday. I couldn’t go. Why? Because my babysitter is snowed under, too. Her dad can’t drive down their street.

Just plow the fucking side streets, please? Fuck. I can’t wait until we get a new mayor. You almost lost your job last election. The man who almost whupped you last time is no doubt going to run against you again. It was so close last time, I bet if he just promises to plow the roads, he’ll win. He’s my ward councilman, and he hates your plowing policy too. I know. He told me himself last year, after several small snows that you just let pile up.

I’m not missing the funeral tomorrow. But if my husband has to stay home with the kids because my babysitter can’t get here, I’m going actively campaign against your re-election.

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  • aha drives downtown and kicks the mayors ass then rides over on his Zamboni with the plow blade on the front to rescue cristi *
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Gotta love Stanley. Flint needs to get rid of him badly, and not just for his snow policy.

It had better be cool for me to come home, that is all I have to say.

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Isn’t this basically S.O.P. for most cities of any size?

Here in Chicago, my street isn’t plowed, wasn’t plowed last year, and will likely never be plowed. There are people who haven’t shoveled out yet, resulting in massive, three foot frozen snowbanks at regular intervals on both sides of the street. There are two thin, very compacted tracks in the middle of the street which are nicely turning to ice, with a massive snow hump in the middle of the road.

I expect it to be this way until March. Unless, like two years ago, it warms up just enough so that the tire tracks actually melt down to the pavement, leaving a nice big icy hump in the middle of the road which scrapes along the bottom of any normal car (non SUV or truck) for the next 12 weeks.

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Hey, doesn’t a Zamboni lay down a smooth sheet of ice?

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Actually, it isn’t SOP, as far as I can tell. I live(d) in Lansing, semi major city. I finally made it in to town today, all the main roads are clear, many of the side streets, too (not all) BUT, from last night on (like about 12 hours after the storm stopped), the local police issued bulletins on TV begging residents to move their cars off the roads so they could be plowed, specifically, the secondary and residential roads. So, they were on it within 12 hours. Sorry Persephone, but you can’t have our Mayor.

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I can handle the streets being bad, but thing I never understood is the stupid way of handling the sidewalk. Who the hell came up the the brilliant idea of using those stupid spinning bristle brush things. Let’s compact some snow to destroy the natural abrasiveness of the concrete, brush off all of the dirt and rocks that could lend a bit a traction, and polish the whole thing to a perfectly smooth sheet of ice.

8

Well, it’s day three, and my street still hasn’t been plowed. There’s some ruts in the snow that make it sort of passable, but mostly just easy to get stuck. I’ve seen a buttload of cars getting stuck here.

I’m going to work today, but I’m going to be late. My cousin also works at City Hall, and she’s giving me a ride. Her street got plowed. Twice. But what I don’t understand is that she only lives four blocks away. I don’t get it. I’ve got to walk to the corner to meet her, because she can’t get down my street.

Oh, I also found out that we may not be getting paid for Tuesday. The day after the storm, the day NO ONE could get ANYWHERE, and there was a snow emergency. Why? Because although no one showed up for work, City Hall was never officially ordered closed by the Mayor. Fucker.

Now, there’s a meeting on Friday. The mayor, some union reps, and our city administrator will be trying to come to an equitable solution. The administrator is a fine, reasonable man, and he’ll probably do most of the mediating. All’s I can say is if we don’t get paid, there’s going to be trouble. The county ordered the snow emergency. If you were out on the roads, got stuck & blocked the roadway, you risked getting a $300 ticket, and since the roads didn’t get plowed right away, the odds were pretty damn high on getting stuck.

I have got to find out why my street isn’t cleared. This is really pissing me off.

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Heya Cristi. As yesterday, my street STILL is not plowed. The only way I could drive Mrs X to work was that my neighbor (thank ghod) has a HUGE snomblower and he and I took turns plowing the street from his house to mine. I actually saw a fucking snowmobile get stuck out here!

Amazing. And Stanley wonders why nobody likes him…

10

Well, it’s almost 6 pm, and my street STILL isn’t plowed.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAARARARARARAR!!!