My City, St. Paul, MN, didn't plow the residential streets after

[MineralMan]

the latest snowstorm, which dumped about 4" on the city. They didn't declare a Snow Emergency, which they say they will do for any snowfall over 3." They plowed the main arterial roads, but left the neighborhood roads covered with snow, which soon got packed down by traffic to make ruts of solid ice.

To say that people were unhappy with this would be an understatement. Here's what I posted on a couple of city Twitter pages:

@stpaulpublicw
@cityofsaintpaul
Historically, city mayors who have ignored snow removal have failed to win their next election. Just ask Michael Bilandic of Chicago or John V. Lindsay of NYC. Snow removal in residential areas is very important. Neglected streets are ice rivers.

I wasn't the only one who took exception, and lots of folks called in to complain.

The result? The city finally decided to plow the residential streets over the next two days, but isn't going to force people to move their cars off the streets under thread of ticketing and towing. Now that the streets are icy and rutted, though, the plowing will do no good, and a lot of people will leave their cars parked on the street, so the plows will have to go around them, which will make matters much, much worse, with unplowed, icy ruts that will last all winter. It's too late, now. Only immediate plowing after each storm can prevent the ice on our streets.

There is a reason for full-scale plowing of roads, including all residential streets, when more than 3" of snow falls. Our current Mayor, however, seems to believe that it doesn't matter if roads will be an icy mess for the next four months. He is making a real mistake, which will be remembered when he's up for re-election. The ice that is there now will still be there next April. Winter is here.

[greymattermom]

1. My brother likes near there, in Arden Hills.

I remember ice bound streets from years ago when I lived in Philly. This will be a mess. Cars will get stuck, slide around, and cause more accidents. Yikes. My daughter went to college in Providence, RI, and I was amazed that they plowed the sidewalks while it was still snowing, and there was no panic during her senior show while it was snowing outside. If it snows even a dusting here, in Atlanta, they will close the city. There is NO equipment at all.

[MineralMan]

3. Different suburban cities do different things about snow here.

Snow removal is expensive. No question about it. But, we are taxed for it, through our property taxes in St. Paul. Our new mayor, who is a progressive guy, has dropped the ball on snow removal to cut costs. He has other projects to spend that money on. It's going to come back to bite him on the butt. He may not realize that yet, but he will.

Last winter, one skipped snow emergency early in the season left neighborhood streets in terrible condition all winter. Once there is 2-3" of hard ice on the roads, there's nothing that can be done, and it doesn't melt here. After November, we don't have any days that will melt that ice until sometime in late April, most years.

While four inches of snow isn't really a lot here, failing to declare a snow emergency and get all roads cleared within 48 hours means an entire winter of rutted, icy roads. I've lived here for 15 years, and last year was the first one where we had persistent ice ruts all winter. Looks like this year is going to be a repeat.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Wow,your Mayor just

set himself up for a major Fail. Snow Plowing residential Streets was always the Political third rail in the forty years we lived in the Twin Cities.

Once those narrow streets become snow packed,the anger quotient of the Residents goes off the charts.

[MineralMan]

4. Exactly. Our new Mayor doesn't seem to know that.

He'll understand it soon. He did the same thing last year in early winter, making the streets horrible for months. Just one missed snow removal screws things up until Spring.

We're hosed now, for the rest of the season.

He will not be re-elected, I predict. There's always another DFLer who will run for St. Paul Mayor.

[Wellstone ruled]

8. My guess is,you are so right.

Worked on the Midway for twenty years and like I mentioned,those narrow Streets once impacted with compacted Snow,it becomes a total bitch. Worst part is the Parking,or having someone doing a Delivery.

[MineralMan]

9. I live in the northeast corner of St. Paul, in one of the last neighborhoods

to have been built out in the mid 1950s. We have wider streets, curbs, sidewalks and all the good stuff. With cars parked on both sides of the street, two cars can pass each other safely. that changes in the winter. Once the streets are icy and rutted, there's basically one lane that goes up the middle of the street. People on my block have rear garages and driveways, so not to many cars are parked on the street. Still, if two cars are on the street going in opposite directions, one is going to have to ease to the right and stop to let the other go by, once the ice is there.

My wife and I work at home, so we don't have to be out as often as others, but it's a real issue for the working people who live in the neighborhood. As the winter goes on, the drivable area on the street gets narrower and narrower.

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Know of what you speak.

Do not miss trying to drive a School Bus or a City Transit down down any of St Paul or Minneapolis Residential Streets during the Winter Season. Toughest part of that Part Time Job and the Part Timers usually pulled the Nasty Runs.

Living in B Park,we never had to worry about having our streets plugged with snow . The Mayor lived in the next block over,He He. First on the plow runs and being one block off a Main Arterial was even more advantageous.

[MineralMan]

13. Yup. We're lucky to live just a couple of blocks from a major arterial street.

Once we're on that, we can go anywhere we want.

The school buses go by our house every morning. At least 10 of them. It's slow, bumpy going for them, to be sure.

[Wellstone ruled]

14. Been there and done that one.

Never did St Paul Routes. But if you know Tangle Town and Dinkytown Streets in the Winter,you get the idea.

[MineralMan]

15. Gotcha. I do know those areas.

[Wellstone ruled]

16. And Mpls has only closed Schools maybe

half dozen times in my lifetime. My Spouse reminded me of the recent Snow Storm you folks just had,do you miss driving those Buses during the Winter as we waited for one to finished with unloading the Neighborhood Kids. Not!!!! as we head out in Shorts and Flip Flops to do our Shopping.

[Tipperary]

5. Gotta wonder if his street is plowed.

Wherever he lives.

[MineralMan]

6. I don't know where he lives, actually. Maybe I'll look that up.

But, you're probably right. The Public Works Department knows where he lives, so his street is probably snow and ice free. Mine sure isn't.

[TeamPooka]

7. garbage and snow removal are the basic duties of elected local officials. if you can't handle that

then you'll fail at the big stuff.

[SlogginThroughIt]

10. The east side is just about non-navigable

I had to run over there today with a trailer and it was absurd.

Yeah the new mayor there doesn’t have a chance for re-election.

[MineralMan]

11. Yeah. I live about as far east as you can go and still be in St. Paul.

Fortunately, I'm only a couple of blocks away from a major arterial street, so a brief drive gets me off the local streets. this time of year, I don't go through St. Paul. I go around it to get to any place more than half a mile from my house.

The city clears the major arterial streets very quickly, which is a good thing, but they do a relatively poor job on residential streets. The conditions vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, but the Greater East Side is one of the worst areas. I'm just glad I live on the edge of the city, so I can get to a cleared road quickly.