Response to last week's blizzard: Did the government do enough?
Re: “Homebound for the holidays,” Dec. 24 news story.
I was amused by the statement from Denver’s public works department in Sunday’s paper that said “by noon Saturday, the city had sent a snowplow down all city streets, even residential ones.” This statement was ridiculous. Clearly, most residential streets have not seen a plow. The department should have been excoriated by the press and others for this statement.
While I didn’t expect all side streets plowed by noon on Saturday afternoon, I do expect our government employees to be honest and realistic about facts. Mayor John Hickenlooper’s explanation on Sunday that “Some residents may not think their street was plowed, but it’s highly likely that city trucks did go down those roads and scrape some amount of snow” is far-fetched. When many residential streets consist of loose snow with tracks and no snow piles on the side, it’s clear they haven’t been plowed.
Christof Stork, Denver
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Re: “Drifts of woe piling up; Denver dig-out needs 2nd week,” Dec. 20 news story.
Our neighborhood (Ken-Caryl Ranch) had not even seen a snow plow on the residential streets as of Tuesday this week. But no one is complaining. We, the residents, got out and shoveled the street. By last Thursday afternoon, we had the first car out and by Thursday evening, everyone on the street could get out. Why do we have to wait for the government? We need to turn off the TV, get up from the couch, quit calling the public works department and take our own action.
On Monday, I was at my brother- in-law’s in Brighton and it was the same story – the residents cleared the street and everyone had a good time communicating with one another.
Why do the Denver residents always feel the government must do it and then the media gives them all the attention?
Glenn Goodwin, Littleton
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Re: “The scoop: Denver trails big cities in bulldozers but not in snowfall,” Dec. 22 news story.
The Post’s article compares Denver to Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit and New York. But there’s a big difference between Denver and these cities: Our snow melts much faster than theirs does. Mother Nature does a much faster job of clearing us out, in other words. Might this account for some of the difference between us and them?
David Hildebrand, Denver
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Mayor John Hickenlooper and Gov. Bill Owens act as if Denver’s clear shortcomings in snow removal, as compared to cities such as New York and Chicago, are only a liability during a massive storm.
In fact, beefing up metro Denver’s snow-removal fleet would improve road conditions and increase safety during smaller snowfalls. A former East Coaster, I dread even the tiniest of storms here because of a totally inadequate approach to snow removal.
In eastern Massachusetts, after 4 inches of snow and in 25 degree temperatures, major highways would immediately be down to bare pavement. Here, given exactly the same conditions, drivers typically face an ice-skating rink.
The bottom line: Too few snowplows and too little money spent on keeping roads clear means snow gets packed down to ice before plows can get there, even with small snowfalls.
Christof Demont-Henrich, Aurora
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I am getting somewhat tired of reading the numerous complaints concerning snow removal on city streets after the storm last week. Sure, some streets are still covered to some degree with snow, and driving is a bit more difficult than normal. But what do these complainers expect? Perfectly dry pavement from curb to curb? Thinking about the logistics of plowing a street with cars parked along it, and snow hard-packed into ice from having been driven over, makes one realize that this would not be possible.
Perhaps the solution would be to ban all driving (except for emergency vehicles) when snow accumulates to more than 1 inch on pavement, and require owners to have their vehicles off the streets until the snowplows have gone through. Would that make these complainers happy?
Mark Greaves, Wheat Ridge
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Yes, this storm was predicted. A number of people are grumbling that employers should have canceled the Wednesday workday on Tuesday because of the expected storm. These folks are obviously new to the Denver area or have short memories. This is one of the very few blizzards that have been somewhat accurately predicted. I say “somewhat” since the snow was supposed to start on Tuesday, not Wednesday.
We have had many predicted blizzards that didn’t show. We have had snow flurries that turned into serious, road-closing storms. Making business decisions based on forecasts is generally foolish in this community. Once the storm arrived and the seriousness of it became apparent, businesses began to close and send their people home. This unusual storm was so heavy, road crews were doing nothing but clearing highways and were not able to keep up with it.
We heard this storm had the potential of being one of the five worst storms in recorded Denver history. Officially it is not. Unofficially it is. For retail business and for the tax revenue for the cities and state, closing for two days is a disaster this time of year. Closing in advance of a predicted storm, with enough evidence to say it may not be all that bad, doesn’t make sense.
Mandell S. Winter Jr., Denver
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On Wednesday, I was very nearly stuck at the airport during the blizzard. Long after the “Super Shuttle,” cabs and rental cars were unavailable (even the parking lots stopped bus service), along came our knight in shining armor: the RTD bus driver. Although his usual route was to Wagon Road, he made a special stop downtown so some of us could make connections with the light rail and other buses, or so we could spend the night in a hotel. Mind you, this was after dark, and we saw numerous other buses stuck in the snow on Interstate 25.
I also want to thank the city and county of Denver and all the other public employees who worked so hard to get this city and region through the blizzard.
J. Clayton, Denver
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For those of you who hear only the negative about all our men in blue – police, fire and ambulance crews – let me inform you that, having listened to my scanner these past days, I can tell you what wonderful people we have working for us in Denver.
Through 2 feet of snow, these hard workers put up with rear- wheel-drive cars that broke their chains; all manner of vehicles getting stuck, and having to wait (sometimes hours) to get unstuck, only to get stuck again; overly long shifts; and any sort of emergency and non-emergency call one can imagine. All this while maintaining an upbeat attitude, with never a grumble and, as is usual, asking for more. This includes the call-takers and dispatchers, some of whom were stranded at the communications center, and whose jobs are very stressful, too.
The next time you hear or read about a “bad” police officer, think about all the other good that they and their compatriots in blue do, with not only dedication and great efficiency, but courtesy – to the public and one another.
Joe Wolf, Denver
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