COLUMN: What happened to snow removal?
With winter still very much in control of Cache Valley, the question of snow removal plagues many residents.
True, there have been some letters to the editor about the removal of snow from sidewalks in front of Greek row and other homes on or near campus, and to some degree I totally agree. But there is a lot more that needs to be done.
To start with, look at off-campus housing. Many times when it snows, the parking lot of my building gets smaller and smaller, leaving no place to park. This is already a problem, but the snow makes it worse.
Also the road to my house is a real problem. It still has not been cleared from the big storm we just had. It is an adventure driving to my house. Over the past week or so, the road has been well packed – never cleared, just packed. I was so excited this weekend that I was able to see the road for the first time since the snow storm. The sun finally got through some of it and I could see pavement.
Another shining example of poor snow removal can be seen with the fire Sunday morning in Logan. The fire could not be contained because all of the fire hydrants had been covered with some, making it impossible to find them and use them.
True snow needs to be moved, we just need to think ahead a little and plow if off somewhere it will not interfere.
This brings me to my real reason for writing this. The other day I parked in the parking lot outside the fine arts building. True it was plowed, but the real problem came from the fact that the snow has been piled in rows, people are still parking in the stalls that are in the lot which leaves about a car width, not length, between the two rows of cars. I soon found out how hard it was to get into and then out of that stall. I felt like I was doing a five-point turn around just to get out of the stall.
I personally think there has to be a better option that. Even if the parking lot was to lose several stalls in favor of a large snow mound at the other end of the lot, there is a better answer than mini-rows of snow making parking impossible. I would also think there are safety issues here. When parked this tight, it is hard to see people or other cars.
I understand that some days make it impossible to get everything clear before students and staff arrive to park, but there has to be a better way to do things than what we are doing now. I am not saying the folks in charge of snow removal are not doing their jobs. I just would like to be able to park without the fear that my car is going to be a foot shorted when I come back to it because someone else was unable to judge the actual size of the remaining stall, thus swiping the back of my car.
I am also wondering how tickets can be assessed to cars parking in lots that have not been properly cleared. There is no way of knowing where one stall ends and the next begins. I watched this in the only free lot on campus. Funny, the next day when you could see the actual stall lines, the car that was parked there the day before was well within the lines, yet had been ticketed for improper parking. I felt bad for that person and I hope they fought the ticket.
My point? Clear the snow and make it possible for us to survive until spring.