4 Days Later: Getting Around in the Slippery Little City
Four days after the blizzard, and with only two shopping days left before Christmas, walking conditions in the center of the “Slippery Little City” remained challenging. These shots were taken around noon Wednesday along Broad Street between Little Falls and Maple. Sidewalks were cleared with the exception of the postal facility and the adjoining parking lot (owned by the City of Falls Church). But intersections were a different story, where pedestrians often had to climb icy mounds created by snow plows.
By George Southern
December 23, 2009
Good pix. I went to Shoppers Food Warehouse this am. Seven Corners is a joke, even more than usual. The feeder roads are only one lane wide. The folks at Koons have contributed to the Mt. Everest situation…looks to me like they plowed the snow from the lots out to Rt. 7 and stacked/pushed it in a pile that blocks part of the lane. Gotta have the “patience hat” on when driving…. I did. Before I left I told myself it would take as long as it takes and I would be there when I got there. Being in the moment while sitting in the traffic: driveway was cleared so I could get out, radio was playing good tunes, car heater was zesty, gas tank was full so I did not have to try to get in the Chevron ….
The car rules. In my experience, roads are now well to adequately cleared. So vehices can move. But often snow cleared from the street goes in part on to crosswalks (as noted in the article above) or sidewalks, often making walking there virtually impossible, at a minimum very difficult. The default option, walking in the streets, while often a necessity, is dangerous (the vehicle always wins). We’ll know the use of the sidewalks has risen to an adequate priority when snow- and ice-free sidewalks occur as quickly and an extensively as equally clearned roads.
In my cluster of homes, most residents have cleared their sidewalk to some extent. BUT there is a limit on time and energy for doing this. I recall as a youth being one of many who shoveled walks for folks. Where are the youth of today ISO some spending money — or savings for college? Where are the unemployed and the underemployed who, individually or in groups, who are ISO of snow removal jobs? Seems like the door is open for enterprising persons to earn money by performing a needed service.
As a former resident, I can simply state that the more things “CHANGE” the more they stay the same. I see the same PHDs (Piled Higher and Deeper) still rule the “Little City”. Don’t blame the doers (City Public Works Employees), blame the “planners” who have yet figured out that a “snow plow plan” for the city would save lots of grief i.e. have the residents of the city who ‘must’” park their cars on the street to use only ONE side so the plows can push the snow to the other side!
Perhaps it will take “activist” citizens to demand through “actual demonstration” how it works.
Now I live in a semi-rural county in Central Virginia where our streets are scraped clean by contractor/farmers using their tractors. BTW, they have this one side of the street idea down pat even though no one parks their cars on the street where I live. (I even have a young neighbor who uses his construction tractor to clean neighbors’ driveways — often for free — or a low fee of $20. I doubt there are ANY/MANY in FC who can make that claim!)
Have yourselves a Merry Christmas!
A neighbor and I just drove around the city. With the exception of Sherrow Avenue, which is a mess, most streets are reasonably clear.
A little earlier I walked up to Broad Street. The sidewalk in front of the old post office and the 2 Sisters lot is no better today. Most other sidewalks are passable, except for occasional problems at the street corners.
Given the amount of snow that fell we felt the city did an adequate job overall. However, other neighbors I spoke to yesterday thought otherwise and half of the respondents to the current News-Press poll agree with them (10% – not very well; 40% – poorly).
Come to my neighborhood in Fairfax County and you’ll see that some roads haven’t seen a plow.
Once again the pampered citizens of the “Little City” need to stop whining and suck it up. 20+ inches of snow is not a small thing and considering the resources that the street crews have, they worked hard and did a good job.