Plows are still working their way through residential streets, struggling to clear a massive volume of snow still lingering on many area roads.
Public schools are still closed today with employees on liberal leave, but city and county government offices have opened, and Fort George G. Meade opened two hours late today. More people are leaving their homes, but some said that only caused traffic to build on icy thoroughfares like Forest Drive in Annapolis.
The slow going frustrated some residents, but public officials insisted they're doing the best...
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Should be ashamed - 2009-12-28 12:39:01
As the state capitol the city of Annapolis should be hanging its head in shame. Plows were not out on many streets until rush hour on Monday and many streets were never been plowed and almost nothing had been salted. There is no excuse for this since the storm and the amount was forecast well in advance and the storm arrived on the weekend. We traveled all over Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties and they did a reasonably good job, Baltimore County an excellent job. For those responsible for the mess in Annapolis, if they can not do the job, there are many out there unemployed that would love to take over.
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chuck bear - , - Karma: Neutral
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The best snow removal - 2009-12-26 16:38:01
Father Nature has once again proven he is in charge. Last night and today he shower the earth removing the ice and snow that the county and city could not remove. All hail Father Nature.
I look forward to a repeat performance of the snow, but this time I hope it is colder, windier, longer and more massive. Hopefully on New Years Eve. Keep up the good work Father NAture.
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Fred Shubbie - annapolis , md - Karma: Terrible
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Priorities - 2009-12-25 08:21:45
This this worst snow removal job we've ever seen by Anne Arundel County. The good news however is they've completely cleared the parking lot of the county owned Compass Pointe. After all, I am sure they expect a lot of golfers on a snow-covered course.
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Bud Blogger - , - Karma: Neutral
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Count Your Blessings - 2009-12-23 04:10:10
Today is Tuesday and Maryland Avenue is Finally getting plowed. I can't imagine what the Founding Fathers did when it snowed here.
On a Less Comical Note. Dave O'Reilly is that anyway to talk about our Fine County Executive who was probably treating these nice Snow Plow Drivers to a Four Star meal at one of the mall restaurants after they plowed the mall lots to keep the commerce going before Christmas?
Shame on you for thinking that the Taxpayers with the outrageous property taxes they pay every year should get their streets plowed. Geez. (Insert Sarcasm)
Merry Christmas !
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Steve Gundersen - Annapolis, Md - Karma: Terrible
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this is ridiculous - 2009-12-23 01:04:46
Day 3 and my street is still not plowed.
On a positive note, however, i did see 7 county plows parked at the Nordstroms parking lot...surrounding a crown victoria with "county executive" license plates.
Had enough innefficiency yet?
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dave oreilly - annapolis, md - Karma: Neutral
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Snow happens - 2009-12-22 21:47:41
Who are we to judge how and when a job is effectively executed ? Unless we can see and document a situation where the socio-economics and political connections of a neighborhood affect the snow removal process ( hint) we should generously apply the benefit of the doubt ( in my most humbly correct opinion )
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Fred Shubbie - annapolis , md - Karma: Terrible
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Ridiculous mess that was fixable - 2009-12-22 20:32:27
This is absolutely ridiculous. Two plows drove by while I was watching today--imagine how many came through that i DIDNT see...BOTH had the plows up in the air, no salt being dropped, no nothing.. Im sorry, fellas, but WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!?!?!? stop burning fuel; start digging us out. each street you drop the plow on means at least one more person that you just personally helped. Your jobs are super important and we need you.
The first city plow that I tried to wave down gave me a brush-off motion as he drove by. The second city truck I was able to flag down was a nice fellow named renaldo. He was nice enough to simply push the snow out of the parking lane on our street so the neighbors could all park in front. He said that they would have liked to plow some streets, but some cars were in the way. Bottom line--here's what I think would help:
1) Salt in advance of coming storm
2) Mobilize city and contractor plows/salt trucks faster when snow starts falling
3) Come up with a ranking of streets from 1-4 based on difficulty of clearing/navigation and ensure trucks plow accordingly. For example, a narrow hilly street might get a salt and plow visit 2-3x per shift vs one thats wide and flat seeing a truck pass once in a shift.
4) Divide city based on # of trucks available to salt and plow and put them on a designated route-truck a "patrols" specific streets and knocks out troubled areas.
**add to this--how about a simple cheap navigation-based routing system that goes in each truck and tells them where to go on that pre-loaded route.
5)The city can't get better unless they work at it. We need to study other successful cities' plans and implement the good ideas. THIS IS AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM and the city should consult with an experienced engineer in a successful city that has similar roads/plow truck inventory, etc.
Forget that this doesnt happen often, etc. Hurricanes don't hit here often either, but it's a concern of ours. Many people lo
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Concerned Annapolitan - annapolis, md - Karma: Neutral
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sidewalks...... - 2009-12-22 17:06:04
Just to clarify, it's my understanding that within the city and county, it's the responsibility of the property owner to clear the sidewalks, not the city/county.....
Also, FWIW, my neighborhood (just inside the city line) had received no plowing or salt treatment when I left for work this morning. Pretty treacherous--the roadways are several inches of ice/compressed snow. I did call Public Works about it, but don't think they were as concerned as I was.....
The most disconcerting part was that, as I shoveled, I saw several (independent/personal) trucks with plows drive down the street that couldn't be bothered to help their own neighborhood.... :(
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Marseille B - Annapolis, - Karma: Neutral
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I realize you can only do so much - 2009-12-22 15:24:15
I realize you can only do so much so when they predict this much snow you should be prepared but I think they should be alittle faster in getting the sidewalks plowed because I've seen alot of people walking in the streets.
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Steve Gundersen - Annapolis, Md - Karma: Terrible
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Considering the Citys Track Record - 2009-12-22 15:19:37
With All Traffic Related Issues if your car is still buried by Christmas Eve I hope you still have Food Stuffs.
The City/County Police can only do so much and my Hat goes off to them but this is a mess like the Ice storms we had a few years ago when my car was parked in a lot in Parole from 4:30pm to 10:00 pm.
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Steve Gundersen - Annapolis, Md - Karma: Terrible
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Bestgate Road - 2009-12-22 14:08:19
The Besgate Road/Intersection to the Hospital was so bad this morning, Tuesday, 21 December at 0830 that several cars could not stop to make the left hand turn safely.
I would hope that in the future "ALL" roads leading into the medical buildings would be cleared correctly.
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claudia bechard - annapolis, md - Karma: Neutral
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no salt no plow - 2009-12-22 11:33:01
My community did not get a plow until Monday afternoon. The result, 10" of ice, major potholes. Aires T. Allen, outside lane disappeared with cars doing 40+ mph confrounted with disappearing lane. I give the response a D.
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harry trampolini - severna park, MD - Karma: Excellent
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