Park View, D.C.

Snow removal efforts on Quincy

So, here it is 11 days after record amounts of snow hit the District and we can definitely look at some lessons learned.

• The Good: Snow removal efforts are still in high gear. On Quincy this morning there was not only a Caterpillar Industrial Loader, but no fewer than three Caterpillar Skid Steer Loaders. Also on the good list was a resident from Park Place who I discovered shoveling sidewalks two blocks away from his home to help make the area safer for pedestrians.


Back in angled parking on Park Place

• The Bad: If I could identify any one thing that was universally bad, it would be parking. It brought out a territorial mentality that isn’t usually present. This could be seen as parking spaces were saved with chairs and trash cans. Another problem could be seen as people dug out their cars and put the snow in the streets rather than carry it to the curb, or, as people parked by backing into their spaces at an angle. Both of these actions worked against the District’s efforts to clear the streets and get things up and operating.
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  Trash at the southwest corner of Rock Creek Church and Warder

  The Ugly: Let’s face it … the worst part of all this snow is garbage. Regular trash pick up has been non-existent. Residents have started to place garbage in their alleys (where it will not be picked up until the snow is gone) or in the few public trash cans which are already overflowing. When the city announced it would pick up trash late last week from the front of peoples’ homes, not all streets received service. This week, if trash collection gets back up and running, its going to be a day off because of the Monday holiday.

Yet, taking into account that this winter has had more snow than the City has seen in over a 100 years, I think everyone came through it relatively well.

I’d be interested in hearing what successes or failures others observed during all this snow.