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Friday, February 4, 2011

Wanted: Your Thoughts On How The DPW Is Doing!

Forget news channel polls! I want to know how your experience has been with the DPW these past couple of snow storms. Good? Bad? In between? Comment and let me know! Below, are some comments readers left on Facebook and a video of awesome (in my opinion) plowing by the DPW.

"streets have been plowed great.... Snow removal signs have caused me headaches coming home late. first it was 15th then 18th and still no removal."~GT

"I've been very happy with the city's recent efforts plowing the streets. I drive around Somerville and Cambridge a lot and Somerville did a much better job at plowing during this last storm than Cambridge. "~NB

"So far so good." ~KM



6 comments:

Charlie D. said...

Overall, I think the DPW has been going a very good job, particularly during and right after a storm. Compared to other cities, I'd say Somerville has handled the snow much better than Cambridge and on-par with Boston.

One criticism I have is that I wish that the City could keep the bike lanes on Beacon St and Somerville Ave clear. They have been covered with snow and/or parked cars for most of the winter. I don't know if the solution is to plow the snow closer to the curb or ticket people for parking in the bike lane. Perhaps a combination of both is needed. Furthermore, I think the City needs to make it more clear when it is or is not okay to park on one side of certain street due to large snowbanks, particularly in order to leave enough width for emergency vehicle access. Temporary no parking signs would be helpful in those cases to remove any ambiguity about whether people will be towed or not.

Anonymous said...

Overall a great job!!! Really, I haven't slid going up the big hill on Lowell St. yet this year or coming down it & that hill is always a fear for me in the winter.

My only wish is that there was more notice that streets are getting shut down for snow removal. Last night I was in meetings till 11:30pm, just drove straight home, parked, & crawled in bed. At 3am I heard the machines outside my bedroom window & thought, "Ut oh, hope my car is there." Checked my cell phone & found a message that Nashua St. was being closed. Threw on boots & ran out to move my car. When I came home that night there were no signs in the snow piles as there had been before when the streets were being closed. Had I seen a sign I wouldn't have parked there. I know I received a robo call, but I entered a meeting at 3pm that I didn't get out of till 11:30, no chance of actually listening to the message when the call came at 6pm.

I also wish that the police would actually enforce the ticket & towing for the street closures (yes, I'm saying this even though I accidentally parked there & would have been towed) because on Richardson St. the other night not enough snow could get trucked away as 3 people still parked their cars between 2 of the biggest snow piles on the street.

KelseyRoth said...

I'm pretty happy. Compared to Medford, these guys are angels! Just take a drive down Boston Ave. to see what I mean. Somerville usually has some of the best roads during and after the storm.

My only complaint is a small one. This season they cleared out Lowell Terrace by plowing the snow in front of my front door. Not a huge deal, but it takes up a much needed parking space.

OK, I have a second complaint. I wish they would clear out the ramps to the crosswalks in Magoun Square at Lowell Street.

James1 said...

I think Somerville has been consistently better than Cambridge, Medford, and Boston. I drove home the day of the "flash freeze" and cut through Cambridge to avoid 93 traffic, and the roads were noticeably better treated in Soemrville than they were in Boston or Cambridge.

We could always want "better" plowing/clearing, but given the record snowfall and the fact that life isn't perfect, I'm very happy!

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the other comments. I regularly drive through Cambridge, Arlington, Medford and Lexington. Somerville main streets and side streets have been consistently better than all the neighboring communities. Perhaps we have more full-time DPW staff and fewer seasonal/contract staff? Whatever the reason, they're doing a great job.

DS

Ethan said...

I agree with everyone else who has commented so far- Somerville has done a great job keeping up with the snow AND being very proactive in notifying people via robo-calls and emails (assuming one has signed up).

Driving through side streets of Cambridge and Medford has only reinforced my opinion.

The only downside I've noticed is that scheduled closures of streets/squares hasn't always resulted in the cleanup I had hoped for. Union Square was closed last week overnight but I didn't see much in the way of improvement. Perhaps it was in less obvious areas.

Overall - good solid A!

-Ethan