I emailed both my city council members and fired off a request for SAND to the city’s 3-1-1 Action Center via the internet yesterday. This is what I got in return:
The City’s Snow and Ice Plan calls for keeping primary and arterial streets open for traffic. On primary and arterial streets, crews plow curb-to-curb and work around the clock to remove snow and apply salt. On residential streets, the plan calls for providing a passable lane. In addition to plowing, crews assigned to residential streets apply salt on intersections, hills and slick areas. We will take your information and it will be placed in the data base.
Thank you for contacting the 3-1-1 Action Center
Uh, ok. I live on a residential street, and let’s talk about how un-passable this “lane” is. When I left this morning, I had the misfortune to end up behind the recycling dump truck, and so I slowed, stopped, waiting, only to see this enormous vehicle completely stuck at the top of a small incline. So I started to back up, the recycling truck began backing up, and we did this fun-packed dance for at least a block. I almost ended up in the ditch, because I was trying to avoid a car parked on the road, and backing up in snowing weather on snowy streets that haven’t been plowed makes it a little tough to stay in the two snow-packed ruts when you have objects to avoid and forty-ton truck in reverse coming at you and it can’t gain traction.
A plow is useless at this point, because this shit is frozen solid in the form of an ice pack on top of the concrete. I seriously doubt the plows will go up and down sixteen times to get down to the pavement. So I asked for sand. I don’t need ice melt, just SAND. Our house is at the top of a small hill, and all day yesterday, I heard the whining and spinning and grinding of motors and tires trying to make it up the incline. I get it, it was a big snowstorm, it happened over a holiday, but this is simply inexcusable at this point. It’s been a week. The primary roads near us (Wornall, State Line, Homes) are clear. I don’t know wtf defines a street as arterial, maybe it’s the bigger streets with lights on them? All I know is that it’s a giant mess, and the people delivering packages and mail and just trying to get in and out of their homes are all at risk until this city bites the bullet and gets on the ball here. I’ve never, ever had to wait this long to have our street plowed, and if I could withhold my city taxes in protest, I sure as hell would. Until everything melts or the streets get cleared, whichever comes first.
Oh, sing it! I have no hope of seeing a snow plow on my street, or for that matter, salt or sand. Frankly, I would be delighted if they would scrape a bit where my street meets the main road so we all don’t get stuck in the piles the snow plows shove _onto_ the side roads. I helped dig out one car that got stuck after the driver foolishly stopped at the stop sign. I know she can’t have been the only one.
Probably the city leaders will soon complain about how this snowfall has wiped out the city’s supplies of snow removal supplies (as they do every year). As though snow falling in winter in Kansas City is somehow unexpected.
Just move over her to my neighborhood in Overland Park. You would love my street. It is on the school bus route, so after the main streets, the school bus routes get plowed. They also pre-treat, so things don’t get so bad. They came down my street twice aroun 1:00 or 2:00 this morning. Not trying to rub your nose in your problem, just saying we would love to have you over here and it would be easier for you to get around.
The hubster also called our City Council rep, and demanded a response that he won’t get, I’m sure. Hubster is wondering what response you got.
Our street is a mess, and I agree with Mosker, many of the intersections are terrible because the plow drivers don’t do what’s needed there to clear intersections properly. Seems KCMO could learn a lot from OPKS and Merriam,KS. Paid our personal property tax online this morning and if there had been a comment field, I would have griped mightily about what we’re not getting for the $$$ that’s going to KCMO for those services.
fascinating! Of course our street is clear down to the pavement, but I got to go to the old house today and as soon as I was on 53rd terrace, the same thing..packed ice and snow. In all the years we lived there it was always that way. We never could get into our driveway because it was at the bottom of Wyandotte…or as the kids called it suicide drive. We would just slide right past the drive way. Our personal driveway here on the JoCo side is not shoveled on purpose so we feel like we are back in KC!!!!