Spokane7
50°
November 22, 2010 in City
City holds off on declaring snow emergency
Despite the declaration of a blizzard warning, city officials said they are waiting for additional information before declaring a snow emergency.
Street officials said conflicting forecasts for snow totals have led them to hold back until it’s clear that the storm will bring at least four more inches.
Mark Serbousek, Spokane’s street director, said street officials will watch the weather and forecasts and switch to its emergency plow schedule once its clearer that four inches will fall.
Currently, the city is operating 26 snow-clearing vehicles during the day and 15 at night.
Most of Monday morning’s snow fall was plowed from most of the city’s arterials during the day. Plows will concentrate on minor arterials this evening until a few inches fall and they switch back to main arterials, Serbousek said.
Crews will use little or no deicer because the frigid temperatures makes it ineffective, Serbousek said.
Man dies following early Saturday accident 
tjh on November 22 at 5:34 p.m.
Because, of course, rules being rules, “three to six inches plus blizzard warning” does NOT equal “four more inches.” Good luck catching up with this one Spokane!
west on November 22 at 5:48 p.m.
ummm..ck this radar out.it isn’t rain either 5:50pm…..lol
http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=otx&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no
misjustice on November 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Yeah, why be proactive when you can be reactive?
hawken on November 22 at 6:06 p.m.
Seems like the city is on top of the situation in this case.
Why spend money they don’t have?
Shylock13 on November 22 at 7:50 p.m.
Spokane is back in the 19th century when it comes to snow removal. The city does not have a clue about how to deal with any amount of snow. I lived for many years a few miles north of Boston. With the exception of a blizzard or very severe nor’easter, our very minor side street was plowed bare by the next morning. Spokane does not have enough equipment to deal with even the few inches that it got last night. I drove today, and was appalled at the condition of the major roads (Francis, Division, Garland, Alberta, and the like). The roads may have been somewhat plowed, but at every intersection or driveway the plows merely made turning far worse. Suggestion: put plows on the front of the trucks that pick up trash, and on Avista and Comcast vehicles, and the like. They have to go on side roads. Then, possibly, those of us who live two or three roads off of an arterial might be able to get to the semi-plowed arterial if there is more than two inches of snow. Last winter, those of us on a small cul-de-sac had to remove snow from our street in order to get to the (unplowed) street that, after a couple of miles, would bring us to a somewhat plowed arterial. We pay taxes too!! The way to attack snow is as the storm begins, not after it is over!! And to attack it everywhere, not repeatedly going over the same roads without plowing side roads. Wise up, Spokane!
bvml on November 22 at 7:56 p.m.
SPOKANE: What a joke, it is SO BROKE. And I ain’t taliking about money…
2Spirals on November 22 at 8:11 p.m.
I’m from Seattle so I drive slow, by nature. So sue me, its the 6th time in my life I’ve driven in the snow (and I’m in my 30’s). So, naturally I go 20mph on aterials and 45/50 on I-90 when its decent. But I get honked at, and people in their 4x4’s pass me doing at least 10 over what I’m doing. How do these people not flip their trucks?! Its not fair. I know if I did that, I’d slide into a ditch. Slow down people! Its safer! Arrive alive, I always say.
monkeyman on November 22 at 8:45 p.m.
Theodore J. Bear at 7:50 p.m. Nov 22:
“Spokane is back in the 19th century when it comes to snow removal. The city does not have a clue about how to deal with any amount of snow. I lived for many years a few miles north of Boston.”
I”m glad you got to live a few miles from Boston! May I suggest an experiment for you: ask what the word “Boston” means to people here. And then go to Boston and ask a few people what the word “Spokane” means to them…
I will chose Boston over Spokane anyday…Thank you.
monkeyman on November 22 at 8:55 p.m.
..make that SPOKANE over Boston.
Justin_Galloway on November 22 at 11:19 p.m.
Obviously, Theo, you just moved here and still seem to have a New England chip on your shoulder. Just grin and Bear it and see how Spokane does with snow. This is only the first day of what is to be a long and precipitous winter. I’d honestly winter here than in Seattle who has hardly ANY plowing and where hardly anyone knows how to drive in it. At least we still maintain bus service when it snows here.
GSLFan on November 23 at 7:23 a.m.
WTF?!?
“Waiting for additional information”????
Here’s the information - it’s snowing. Plow it. Now.
Does Mayor Verner think she can wave her magic princess wand and the stuff will disappear?
philipgregory on November 23 at 7:57 a.m.
I’ve got a better solution!
Let’s just GET OUT OF SPOKANE!!
That’s what the city deserves for the way they waste tax payer money on their big ego projects.
misjustice on November 23 at 8:03 a.m.
Has the city decided YET if there is an emergency?
lewis8457 on November 23 at 8:09 a.m.
Why don’t the plows have gates anymore. They used to have a gate that dropped down so they didn’t plow in side streets and driveways now it is tough luck citizen while we raise your property taxes.
And the speed, does the plow really need to block my driveway sidewalk and still throw snow 10 feet into my yard?
misjustice on November 23 at 8:18 a.m.
@ Justin; Theodore has a valid point about snow “removal”. I grew up back east and we had horrendous winters, due, largely to the systems coming over the Great Lakes. We routinely had heavy snow fall. In our fair city, after pushing the snow another machine came behind and loaded it into dump trucks. Snow was actually REMOVED from the streets, parking lots, etc…not just pushed to the side, up onto sidewalks and private property.
I still remember those gigantic snow piles, and how they hung around long after winter’s snowy grasp. Kids, of course, made good use of them; mini sledding hills in April’s spring sunshine!
Anyway, Theodore seemed to have experienced a similar removal plan when he lived north of Boston. And in my reading of his post, I honestly did not detect a New England chip on his shoulder.