City snow plows

[Patrick Wadden]

Clifton was a skating rink at 8:00pm when it was coming down. Clifton was much better about an hour later. Same for Detroit. Good job City of Lakewood.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Clifton was a skating rink at 8:00pm when it was coming down. Clifton was much better about an hour later. Same for Detroit. Good job City of Lakewood.

Patrick

I am sure you will agree, that even with staffing cuts, having to do more and work harder with less, city crews are amazing.



Years ago I did a story on city work crews in winter, they earn the money and benefits November through April.



They really have road management down, not over plowing, not over salting.

Joe Beno and crew get this right far more times than not.

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[Ryan Salo]

They really have road management down, not over plowing, not over salting.

Jim,

It is apparent that we are using significantly less salt than other cities around us. Do you agree with that decision?

[Stan Austin]

Ryan-- I think salt should only be used in critical areas such as railroad crossings and hills or inclines. It really doesn't add to safety or traction if it's just spread all over. Stan

[Jim O'Bryan]

Ryan-- I think salt should only be used in critical areas such as railroad crossings and hills or inclines. It really doesn't add to safety or traction if it's just spread all over. Stan

In the bitter cold of morning they plowed main streets to one lane each way at about 1/2 inch. With the extreme cold, traction was far better than people acted.


Car were buried, and many sidewalks that were cleaned were covered by plows at excessive speed.


It was pointed out to me by a retired police officer that Lakewood used to plow the corners, now they plow straight which is much faster. The problem it leaves extremely messy intersections often with huge piles of snow making passage unsafe for pedestrians.

But this was the most troubling aspect of plowing to me...

The RTA Lane was better than the rest of the road, and was plowed with a large ridge, that many cars had a hard time maneuvering over?

As for the salt, it only works above zero, so it melts snow that turns to ice, snow is better and safer.

People should learn, in icey weather do not stop on inclines, give room, and take it easy/

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[todd vainisi]

I wasn't impressed with the plow work today. I don't really understand needing to really prop them up and say how they go out in the bad conditions... yeah, you signed up to be a snow plow driver, we don't call you when it's nice out.

On the other hand, the refuse workers were beasts today. They were out there pulling cans out of feet of snow. I had a couch out there that I had to save till last night to put out (don't need to end up on Laurie's videos!) and they took it before 8 am.

[Bridget Conant]

Snow plows drivers sit in heated cabs. The poor refuse guys are out in the elements. I also felt for the mail carriers - my guy had to climb through snow piles and up and down slippery steps in below freezing weather. I wish they'd halt delivery in days like that - what can't wait one more day?

[Jeff Dreger]

I can't fault the snow plow drivers - they're just doing what the city managers tell them. I do think that the streets were unacceptable yesterday and many (most?) are still not up to par today. My expectations are based on what Lakewood has done in the past and what other cities are doing. I think it was/is not safe for drivers and especially for pedestrians. As much as I was out yesterday afternoon/evening, I never saw a plow. If there were more than a dozen out trying to get things cleaned up, you'd think I'd notice at least one. This morning, it sure didn't look like the lack of traffic was taken advantage of overnight to get even some of the main roads in better shape.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I wasn't impressed with the plow work today. I don't really understand needing to really prop them up and say how they go out in the bad conditions... yeah, you signed up to be a snow plow driver, we don't call you when it's nice out.

On the other hand, the refuse workers were beasts today. They were out there pulling cans out of feet of snow. I had a couch out there that I had to save till last night to put out (don't need to end up on Laurie's videos!) and they took it before 8 am.

Todd

I could be wrong but I was speaking of all city workers outside. Refuse guys are beasts, letter carriers to, crossing guards just amazing.

It was interesting listening to a ex-City Worker and ex-policeman talking about the changes to snow plowing in Lakewood over the years. All in an effort to do more with less.

With more workers and smaller plows, city workers had the ability and the mission of clearing the streets. Rounded corners to the curb were the norm. But there has been a move to ODOT standards, curved large blades, plowing quickly (putting snow on sidewalks, which does not need to happen), and streets plowed straight making massive mounds at the intersection of streets at the corners and sidewalk.

But everything comes at a very real price. Salt not cheap, plowing to the asphalt, slow and very damaging. The number of times a street is plowed, and the amount of salt matters greatly in time until the next repaving or patching. Patches come off first, then water gets under sealed layer road falls apart.

With the city losing 2 of the top 4 employers in town, and only a 1% rise in tax revenues, things are going to get tough. Rumors of offloading trash collection, Building, other departments which is just finding ways to raise our taxes, by shifting burden and costs off to the tax payer.

So what is good for the goose is also good for the gander what about...

Residents and Businesses not clearing their walks? Please leave business and resident comments on this thread from the past!
http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/forum/v ... el#p164160


Owner of Woodstock, Bob Tagliotti, making sure sidewalks are clear for walkers, customers and most importantly his work crews when they arrive to start cooking. Woodstock has become one of the premier places to buy really good BBQ, Ribs, Brisket, Wings, and so much more. Good wok Bob!

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[Dan Alaimo]

FYI, this is available in another city:
http://www.cityofrochester.gov/PlowTrax/

"Get the latest info on snow plowing operations using PlowTrax!
PlowTrax is an web-based map that is activated during snow events. It uses GPS to track the progress of approximately 150 snow plows, and show their current locations. The map is updated every five minutes during snow events."

[Jim O'Bryan]

City salt hut as of 12.16.2016, plenty of salt much of it from last year.

I was talking with an ex driver who asked me to understand a couple things about driving a salt truck.

1) Let's say they get the call to come in at 1, they arrive by 2, the trucks are filled and out by 4-6, and it is rush hour.

2) For plows to work, they have to be able to move at speed on roads they are plowing.

3) For Salt to work, it needs cars running over it at speed to break it up and distribute it as a finer dust.

4) Even with calcium chloride sprayed on the salt, there is a bottom line in temps that it still works, and we need traffic.


Calcium Chloride in the large tank, being sprayed over the top of salt.

During the lull in traffic they tried to catch up but cars on side streets, make plowing tough.

So there you have t from one person's perspective.

If you ask me, if you clean your walks you can bitch about the city and the businesses, if not, sit down. Shovel your walks today!.

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[cmager]

Does the City of Lakewood create and publish Service Level Agreements (SLAs)? If so one could compare today's actual performance against the SLA. And if the City has SLAs from years and decades prior, one could determine if services have been diminished or dis-invested. One could also benchmark and compare the City of Lakewood to surrounding cities big and small.

[jackie f taylor]

If the snow plows ever get to work, and if they pile the results of a snow storm into my driveway with ice, slush, mounds so high, I'm old, I can't move it, I'm calling to complain to city hall. I could have a heart attack trying to move it, No. There is a law, I can't put my snow into the street, they will not pile snow into in my driveway apron.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Lakewood, we might have a problem...
After days of thinking Lakewood crews were above and beyond, I mad a trip into Cleveland and the Eastside.

In the old days, coming home from work you were always glad to hit Lakewood, as the streets were finally cleared. Another service feature that set us apart from the rest. Everyone noticed it, everyone east or west noticed it, everyone talked about it.


Cleveland Hts, Mayfield Road, clean and dry, the white areas are dry asphalt.


Side streets dry and perfectly plowed.

Meanwhile back in Lakewood...


Chosen at random, 2 hours after Cleveland Hts photos were taken.


Another street, you can see the issues I was bringing up.


Rapid straight plowing, leaves large ridges, 2' from the curbs, snow on sidewalks, which is merely placing street snow removal into the shovels of residents, and...


The area in yellow, gets higher and higher, and this is where the cars get stuck, people fall accidents happen.

As I have outlined for years, Lakewood is quickly loosing everything that separates us from others, as the City continues to cut and recut services in an effort to make all of us think they did not completely screw up this city wasting hundreds of millions chasing personal dreams, they cut our services.

One more from the top. If a 16 oz. bag of Lays Potato Chips cost $2.00 and now you get 10oz. for $2.00 the price went up.

City Hall has been raising our taxes like this for almost a decade.

Wake up.

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[Bridget Conant]

Oh Jim, you negative Nelly!

As a 37 year resident, I have seen the quality of services decline, particularly during and since Fitz's reign.

Start with trash pick up. We had great backyard service. Now? I have to drag unwieldy bins over snow and ice and find a place near the curb where they will hopefully remain standing until the truck comes by. On a typical Monday, at least one bin on my street gets blown over or hit and I'm treated to the lovely sight of garbage strewn over my lawn as it blows down the street. Never had that before and I resent having to pick up trash that isn't mine.

How much did we save with that scheme? Someone made a bundle selling us those bins! If we had truly saved money, I would grudgingly put up with the mess, but we didn't. That's bad government.

Same with the snow plowing. Lakewood was known for keeping steets clear. Not anymore. My brother in Rocky River was going to go to Angelo's the other night and turned around in Lakewood way before he could get there. He commented that Lakewood sure wasn't keeping the streets the way the used to. So it's not just my perception.