I'll tell you, Cleveland, I've gone from excited about winter as a child to something-more-than-tolerant-but-not-excited about winter as an adult, and even I'm getting weary of this particular winter. I can take prolonged snow or prolonged coldness, but not both. It'd also be easier to cope with some better transit options (i.e. rail) for getting around when you don't want to drive in the hellish weather.
__________________ Where the trees are the right height
This winter has been terrible. It was below -30C again last night and currently it is -29C with a -43C windchill. We've had half of the days since November 20th with an overnight low below -25C and a quarter of the days below -30C.
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-- “We heal each other with kindness, gentleness and respect.” -- Richard Wagamese
-- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” -- Dr. Seuss
I'll tell you, Cleveland, I've gone from excited about winter as a child to something-more-than-tolerant-but-not-excited about winter as an adult, and even I'm getting weary of this particular winter. I can take prolonged snow or prolonged coldness, but not both. It'd also be easier to cope with some better transit options (i.e. rail) for getting around when you don't want to drive in the hellish weather.
Me to!. And apparently I've brought the snow to Atlanta. State of emergency!, emergency cell phone text message!, and food is flying off of the grocery store shelves all for up to three inches of snow . I best not check in to the Skybar weather thread before I get accused of being a arrogant, northern, asshole.
Me to!. And apparently I've brought the snow to Atlanta. State of emergency!, emergency cell phone text message!, and food is flying off of the grocery store shelves all for up to three inches of snow . I best not check in to the Skybar weather thread before I get accused of being a arrogant, northern, asshole.
Hell, they don't even do side streets in Detroit until there is six inches, and that's if they ever get to them, at all. Of course, if you live in one of the better hoods with neighborhoods associations, you can pay for supplemental plowing.
IEDIT: I thought better of it. I will not further antagonize the Lost City of Atlanta.
__________________ Where the trees are the right height
My city is currently in the process of removing snowbanks on side streets. We plow all side streets within 48 hours and sidewalks within 96 hours. The snow removal on side streets thing is new, but we've gotten so much snow lately that it's become a serious hazard. Some side streets are half as wide as they would normally be due to snow banks.
The downside: Dump trucks full of snow everywhere.
Same thing, here. There was a story on the news, last night, reminding citizens why local governments and the like are not to dump their street snow directly into the waterways. It's really starting to create hills in the designated snow dump sites.
__________________ Where the trees are the right height
We've lost several parking spots at my apartment because of the new snowy Alps that have grown up over the last couple months. They even had to move the dumpster to the middle of the parking lot bacause, like the massive amounts of snow, there's no other place to put it.
I see the director of the Michigan Department of Transportation is already warning everyone in the dailies, this morning, that pothole season will be "horrendous", here, because of the winter. And, he's already begging for supplemental funding for the spring just for patch work.
Everyone really wants money for a thorough reconstruction of roads, which is something we have done in years. But given this is an election year with a tea-flavored legislature in power already having decided that our surplus is going to more tax cuts, that ain't gonna happen, and they sure as hell won't be behind raising the gas tax or vehicle registration fees.
So, happy pothole season, Michigan!
__________________ Where the trees are the right height
Hell, they don't even do side streets in Detroit until there is six inches, and that's if they ever get to them, at all. Of course, if you live in one of the better hoods with neighborhoods associations, you can pay for supplemental plowing.
IEDIT: I thought better of it. I will not further antagonize the Lost City of Atlanta.
And I managed to get around fine yesterday. I thought "they closed the schools/businesses for this?" And then I decamped further south and didn't stay for the later round of ice.
When I used to drive to Grand Rapids to visit friends I was always impressed with Michigans interstate highways. Smooth and nicely marked.
As a native Michigander I must call bullshit on that one! Our roads are terrible compared to the surrounding Midwestern states and our drivers aren't that great either (don't let ColDayMan see me state that).
As a native Michigander I must call bullshit on that one! Our roads are terrible compared to the surrounding Midwestern states and our drivers aren't that great either (don't let ColDayMan see me state that).
This was the stretch of interstate 94/196 from the Indiana border to Grand Rapids. Compaired to the awful roads in NW Indiana and Chicago area I was actually relieved when I got into Michigan. Of course this was between 1999 and 2003 when my friends lived there. Perhaps at that time that stretch was just freshly surfaced? Grand Rapids main and side streets seemed quite smooth also.
I was younger when I visited Detroit and don't remember the roads at all.
You're literally the first person I've ever heard compare our roads favorably to neighboring states. lol That's not to say we don't ever repair roads, but not nearly the clip that I think a lot of our neighbors do, and it also seems that the repairs have a shorter life, too.
And, Michiganders bad drivers? We're going to do that again? Hey, if someone wants to do 35 in a 35, they can take their slow asses back to Ohio or Indiana or wherever. Ain't nobody got time for that.
__________________ Where the trees are the right height
Wohoo. We had a water main break up the street Tuesday everning that covered both sides of my street except for the frozen pile in the middle wide enough for a car. Then someone got their car stuck in the middle of the street. Yesterday we got 15cm of snow on top of it and a couple of -24C nights to freeze things up good. Glad I moved the car off the street before it froze in place until spring. Which should be arriving sometime in May.
Winter has been awesome.
__________________
-- “We heal each other with kindness, gentleness and respect.” -- Richard Wagamese
-- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” -- Dr. Seuss
You're literally the first person I've ever heard compare our roads favorably to neighboring states. lol That's not to say we don't ever repair roads, but not nearly the clip that I think a lot of our neighbors do, and it also seems that the repairs have a shorter life, too.
And, Michiganders bad drivers? We're going to do that again? Hey, if someone wants to do 35 in a 35, they can take their slow asses back to Ohio or Indiana or wherever. Ain't nobody got time for that.
We'll send up our highway state patrol up there and see if you got time for that.
Please...we can barely handle Ohio's state patrols when we're actually in the state; I couldn't imagine the results that such a move would have on our commerce and social order.
rocky: That must have been a good time for I-196. I wouldn't say the road is terrible since a lot of it get repaved often, but a lot of the bridges are starting to show their age. And Grand Rapids is also having its fair share of road maintenance issues. The city is wanting to have a special election in May to vote on increasing taxes for more road funding. It would definitely help, but the opposition was on the news last night trying to convince people that it should be the state's job to take care of Grand Rapids' roads instead of the city...
We've got the exact opposite problem in the Southwest. Its going to be in the upper 60s in Flagstaff, possibly above 90F down in Phoenix this weekend and with our lack of precipitation, fire season is going to be a bitch this year if we don't get anything soon.
You're literally the first person I've ever heard compare our roads favorably to neighboring states. lol That's not to say we don't ever repair roads, but not nearly the clip that I think a lot of our neighbors do, and it also seems that the repairs have a shorter life, too.
Speak of the devil. No sooner than I post that that this is reported on, yesterday:
Michigan comes in dead last in the nation when it comes to its per capita spending on its roads and bridges, according to a report citing U.S. Census Bureau data.
Michigan spends just $154 per person annually on its infrastructure, compared to nearby states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania) that spend between $60 and $376 more per person on their roads and bridges, according to a Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency report ciring U.S. Census data for fiscal year 2009-10.
The state that spends the most on infrastructure is Alaska, which spends $2,032 per person, according to the census bureau statistics.
...
I mean, I knew we ranked low when it came to road spending, but even I was surprised to find us dead-'effing-last. And, the sad thing is that it's not like we don't have the money, or couldn't get it, we just choose not too. But, I guess the $45-average income tax cut is worth the bad roads. lol.
__________________ Where the trees are the right height
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. I best not check in to the Skybar weather thread before I get accused of being a arrogant, northern, asshole.
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