As the Seattle City Council gets its first briefing on Seattle’s snow response to last week’s storm, it’s a good time to look at our own streets and sidewalks and ask, “How’d we do?”
CHS’s summary judgement:
- 23rd and Madison were passable when we needed them
- Broadway traffic seemed to be doing fine with its Level 2 status (one lane bare) but the piled up snow in intersections and along sidewalks was a drag for pedestrians
- SDOT must have brined the hell out of John — we were only a little disappointed to not find the usual car and bus graveyard stacking up during the snowiest days
- Side streets took a long time to clear out — but it’s difficult to imagine trying to get a snow plow truck down most of the Hill’s secondary streets with cars parked on both sides.
- City needs to find a way to make street sledding a non-disturbance issue so 911 callers don’t force a deployment of limited SPD resources
- The new map showing latest road clearance work was useful
- The good citizens of Capitol Hill should put out some community-managed garbage receptacles so Denny Way doesn’t get trashed. Also, if you haul in a mattress, consider hauling it out.
- And, yeah, not many shoveled their sidewalks
If we were being selfish, the only requests would be finding ways to do more to clear slippery sidewalks on heavily taveled slopes like E Olive Way and solving the crosswalk problems along Broadway. But maybe we’re not asking for enough. You can let us know below.
For some, the City’s response was again a massive failure. Charlette Lefevre used to run a Capitol Hill business and still has a bone to pick over the 2008 storm:
So a little over three years later, with another similar snow-storm it seems we haven’t learned or changed anything. The mystery remains why Broadway was never plowed in 2008 and why there has been a delay in plowing this year despite the advanced weather forecast. Rumors abounded three years ago that the city in fact only had two plows operating at times only on I-5 and the West Seattle Bridge (because then Mayor Nickels lived in West Seattle) and the only fact that seems to support that rumor was the Seattle Times photographers could not find or photograph a single plow active on the road. If anyone recalls seeing a plow in 2008 or even this week on Broadway, please let me know as I would love to be proven wrong.
Here you go, love:
The elusive and mysterious Broadway snow plow truck plying the roadway Thursday (Image: CHS)
We asked SDOT more about why Broadway is designated a lower priority artery for road clearing work. First, SDOT took exception to our characterization of the whole “lower priority” thing:
A Level 2 route means that SDOT works to achieve bare and wet pavement for one travel lane in each direction within eight to 12 hours after a winter storm. Level 1 routes would have all travel lanes in bare and wet condition. It is not an indication of priority as Level 1 and Level 2 streets are treated at the same time.
Broadway received that designation due to its assessed transit and emergency services use. Other examples of Level 2 streets are Beacon Ave S, Mercer St and Stone Way N.
A SDOT rep tells us that the routes will be reassessed after each winter season so, if you want to lobby for the vaunted Level 1 status for Broadway, you might want to speak up now. It seems like the City Council might be interested.
Justin, I don’t know if this is such a good idea. You were there right? It seems every year people will pile into compost/yard waste bins and sled down in those. Giving people access to more could only end badly.
Maybe have a dumpster up top and a dumpster at the bottom? Then again, that could go bad as well. Social order breaks down on Denny between Bellevue and Melrose with any amouint of snow…..
I’m curious about the damage from the giant snowplows that went up and down Madison. Yesterday while walking down Madison I saw dozens of road turtles, those little yellow and white bumps that sit along the lane dividers, piled up alongside the street in the remaining snow. Do these all have to be replaced now and how much does that cost? I was amazed at how many there were.
Number of hospitals, supermarkets and emergency services that were closed during the snowfall and resulting melt: 0.
You were inconvenienced. Get the fuck over yourself if you think this winter weather was a real problem for the city.
Broadway doesn’t have a second travel lane to plow north of E Pine St. So what’s the objection to level 2 status?
The city will have to replace them. Technically, on any roadway that may need to be plowed they should install recessed Bott’s Dots (that’s what they’re called), that look something like this:
That would require retrofitting to the road, grinding, etc… So the city probably decided it would be cheaper to just replace them on the odd occasion the road needed to be plowed. The other option is use reflective lane stripping and not need the Dots. The Dots are mainly there to alert a driver they are straying into another lane.
Road turtles, LOL, I love that.
I’m ready for the next one. I miss the snow.
Charlette, let’s not call Mr. Nickles a “Mayor” any more, please. “Former mayor” is what in my opinion is the most he earned.
We should probably start referring to Mike McGinn as former mayor now as well. In my opinion, that is the most Mike has earned.
I really think that more property owners need to be more responsible and do their part to keep up with clearing their property lines. My entire street is full of renters and I’m sure if we were provided with the tools we’d all go out shoveling. I saw plenty of people falling and property owners can be held responsible.
Since we’re talking about sidewalks – it’s not just residential properties, but also many of the commercial/institutional properties that also fail to keep their sidewalks shoveled.
The most egregious example: SCCC. They have a relatively large stretch of frontage on Broadway and Pine. It’s the site of 2 bus stops, and sees fairly heavy pedestrian traffic (much of it from their own students) – especially if people are trying to walk to downtown when buses are on snow routes and scarce. Much of the sidewalk is brick, which is much more slippery than a concrete sidewalk in the slush and ice, and if it gets trampled up and then refreezes is nearly impossible to walk on. And yet they do absolutely NOTHING to try to shovel, clear, sand or salt their sidewalks when it snows.
Not only do we residents need to be better neighbors to each other when it snows, but so do SCCC and many of the neighborhood businesses.
Good call Brandon. With snow people can have traction but after snow is removed or trampled away the water will freeze with low temps. I’m an East Coaster and used to snow but after last week I am convinced that snow shouldn’t be shoveled unless it’s like 2 or 3 feet so that people can walk in the snow for traction and get wet pants versus splitting their head open on a shiny clean plate of glass.
I would be thrilled if Greg Nickels decides to run again for Mayor. I think he was one of the very best Mayors Seattle has ever had, and receives far too little credit for all he accomplished.
I agree completely with Ernest Tee Bass. When a sidewalk is shoveled, there is always some water underneath, and when this freezes the sidewalk is actually more dangerous to walk on than if no shoveling was done.
Shoveling is way over-rated.
I think SPU/Cleanscapes needs to figure out a better way to take care of the missed trash/recycle pickups as a result of snow. On Capitol Hill, they did do a good catch-up job with the commercial/apartment accounts…all were picked up by Sunday…but residential service was a different matter. Most of our neighborhood residences are scheduled for pickup on Wednesdays, which means they were missed completely last week, and the only thing SPU offered was “extra material without charge on the next regularly-scheduled pickup.” So, this means that trash will not be picked up until today (January 25th), a full week late, and recycling will not be picked up until February 1st, a full two weeks late.
You can see the results on our streets…overflowing containers on our parking strips, litter scattered about, and no recycling container capacity for another week. This is just not OK. SPU could do better.
I want to thank all the people who DID clear their sidewalks — there really were quite a number and I’m very grateful. Here on First Hill it was all sorts of folks who found a shovel and “salt” and made it possible to get around.
It did seem that cancellation of the buses on First Hill (we lost all but the #60) was overdone. The snow routes are very confusing, and they lasted much longer than necessary in our part of town. Perhaps another look at the snow routes is in order?