Mixed Reviews About Melrose's Plowing Efforts During Blizzard
Readers discuss plowing efforts by city during blizzard of 2013.
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After putting the question to you, our readers, about Melrose's job plowing city streets during the blizzard of 2013, reviews were mixed.
Good Work By Melrose DPW
A handful of readers were positive on the job done by the Melrose Department of Public Works to clear snow from city streets.
Reader Laurie W wrote, "I was impressed by the DPW plowing nonstop all weekend, and have seen them come back through to widen streets as recently as last night. I work in Boston and have driven through neighboring communities during my commute. In terms of our major thoroughfares I strongly believe Melrose DPW did a great job compared to other communities."
Fellow reader mdonahue agreed with Laurie W's take, adding, "...Our DPW should be applauded for the overtime work they did making our main roads safe. I agree with single lanes on side streets. They were working late Monday to move some of the larger snowbanks around the Roosevelt, middle and high schools. Yesterday, officer Applegate was helping direct traffic at the Middle and High school. I think we are far to critical of our city employees. This is different from your average storm. I appreciate our plow drivers, Police and others who worked during and after the blizzard!"
"Our street has been plowed and re-plowed a couple of times. I completely understand the need of a first pass creating a single lane on all streets, and then widening them from there," wrote reader Joan Ruland Donnelly. "I remember Brooklyn a couple of years ago with ambulances and fire trucks stuck in the snow - that is the last thing you want when you're the one with the emergency.
"There are only so many plows, and only so many people available to drive them. It's taken time, but the roads are in decent shape, (in my opinion)..."
Unhappy With City's Plowing Efforts
While some readers supported the work done by the city to clear snow from the roads, there were Melrosians that expressed their dissatisfaction with city's efforts during the blizzard.
"I am extremely disappointed," wrote reader Lola Falana. "I have talked to my neighbors and (not) one of us have seen a plow since the snow stopped on Saturday."
Reader Molly Phillips wrote, "If plowing roads that were once able to accommodate (two)-way travel and parking on either side into single lane thoroughfares with no parking, piling snowbanks so high on corners that cars can't see and pedestrians have to walk in the street so they don't fall on poorly cleared sidewalks deserves praise then okay. Good job Melrose! You really knocked it out of the park. Seriously? How many storms do we need to have before the DPW finally gets that plows need to go down both sides of a street and not the middle?"
Fellow reader Betsy Benagh concurred with Phillip's take, adding, "I agree. I don't understand why they plow a single lane down the middle of the street, leaving huge piles of snow in the street. It would seem to me to make sense to do it right from the start, instead of having to send front loaders to go fix it later. I can accept the streets not being precisely curb-to-curb, but they should at a minimum be able to accommodate two cars passing one another..."
dennis mccarthy
6:59 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I thought DPW and the contractors did an excellent job with keeping the streets open given the amount of snow that fell and the wind. The City was clear from the beginning what the plan was for clearing snow. They executed against the plan.
Streets were adequately plowed, sanded and salted.
Thanks again to the contractors and the city workers for the great job!
Melissa Warren-Southwick
8:42 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I am also a resident who was happy with the job the DPW did...my diappointment has been with residents and businesses of Melrose and their lack of care of their fellow neighbors. Some sidewalks not done, others just doing their walkway...while piling up snow blocking safe passage on the sidewalk forcing people out in the roadway. If you know a neighbor is elderly or disabled is it really that difficult to do a little extra? Good karma goes a long way... Shame on SOME of the businesses on Main St. for not properly clearing the sidewalks and the enterances to crosswalks. It is obvious their priority is on making $ over the safety of their customers. I would like to see Melrose start ticketing for this, especially the businesses.
Betsey Benagh
4:44 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Overall, I was happy with the snow removal efforts. I just question the methodology, since it seems to make the removal more work overall, at least from my perspective.
Alaine
11:53 am on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I agree with the comment about the sidewalks. There are still sidewalks that are completely untouched in front of houses on Main Street. I can't walk the one block from my bus stop to my home without having to walk into Main Street, which is terribly treacherous to do after dark. There's no excuse for not clearing your sidewalk a week or more after the storm. If you can't physically do it yourself, hire someone else to do it. It's your responsibility and people shouldn't have to put their own safety at risk because of it. I've called the city's snow line about it and was told "It's not our problem".