Snow Removal
Last week we got our first signficant snowfall of the season-- two inches of light, fluffy powder. The next morning, shop keepers were out with their brooms, sweeping the sidewalks in front of their stores. They swept the snow into cardboard boxes and onto sheets, which they then dragged over and emptied into tidy piles. There were no plows, graders or sand trucks; heck, only a few people even had proper shovels.
A few days later, after the remaining snow had become compacted and icy, the city deployed groups of workers in orange vests.
Using shovels and other hand tools, they began to break up and remove the compacted snow/ice from the traffic intersections and sidewalks.
The slabs they pried up were neatly piled around the roots of nearby trees and shrubs.
Doing the job by hand means precision is high (no one's driveway gets bermed in), but progress is slow. This morning around 5 am I awoke to the sounds of metal clanking and shovels scraping. Two crews were clearing the road in front of my apartment. Four hours later when I left for work, they had moved only about 30 feet. I for one am hoping they finish my block today, so all of us can get some sleep.
A few days later, after the remaining snow had become compacted and icy, the city deployed groups of workers in orange vests.
Using shovels and other hand tools, they began to break up and remove the compacted snow/ice from the traffic intersections and sidewalks.
The slabs they pried up were neatly piled around the roots of nearby trees and shrubs.
Doing the job by hand means precision is high (no one's driveway gets bermed in), but progress is slow. This morning around 5 am I awoke to the sounds of metal clanking and shovels scraping. Two crews were clearing the road in front of my apartment. Four hours later when I left for work, they had moved only about 30 feet. I for one am hoping they finish my block today, so all of us can get some sleep.
posted by Susanne D. at 1:35 PM
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