Here is the winter of 2009 - 2010 information on what you need to know during a snow emergency in Boston. We'll update this article with news items as we receive them throughout the season. Subscribe to the comment feed for this post or
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Information for this storm- updated by Ed Cherubino on 12.20.09 at 3 PM
Current status from the city is on this page. We recommend you check often for updates. We just received this notice from the city: "Today’s declared snow emergency and parking ban that was in effect starting at 10PM Saturday, December 19 will officially end at 4:00 p.m. today, December 20, 2009."
December 18, 2009 - The Boston Transportation Department site requests of residents:
(http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/Default.aspx?id=4498
-
"Not
to park cars within 20 feet of an intersection. Parking too close to an
intersection can restrict emergency vehicle access and plow/sander
access."
- "Do not park at fire hydrants,
crosswalks, handicap ramps, or bus stops as it is crucial for public
safety that these areas remain accessible."
-
"Disabled cars blocking the roadway must be removed as soon as possible."
Here's the general information you need to know about any snow emergency.
Winter storms have an impact on our lives and the city distributed
"Winter Weather Facts 2009-2010" brochures to households last month to
help us learn what to do.
Before The Storm
Great Bostonians will locate and note the
landmarks to find their nearest fire hydrant and work with their
neighbors to dig around it and keep it clear for the entire winter
season. This community action can save lives and homes.
If the storm drain near your home is blocked with leaves and debris, you can clear it to prevent flooding when the snow melts.
Find your winter boots, shovels, windshield scrapers, sand, salt and
ice melt. (For the sake of dogs who walk barefoot on sidewalks, please
choose a "Paw Safe" option when buying de-icing products.)
And, if you have a car, you may want to park it somewhere that is not signed as a "Snow Emergency Route." Here is a list of the major arteries for the Downtown Boston area with parking restrictions.
Snow Emergency Parking in Boston Neighborhoods
www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking
With a warning that parking regulations will be strictly enforced, the city asks of residents:
-
"Don't park within 20 feet of an intersection, or further than one foot from the curb."
-
"During a snow emergency, don't park on streets with signs declaring
"Emergency Snow Artery" or "Tow Zone- Snow Emergency"."
-
"Disabled cars blocking the roadway must be removed as soon as possible."
-
"Cars parked in driveways must not extend to the sidewalk or street."
-
"Resident parking stickers must be visible within 24 hours after the end of a snowstorm."
-
"Any spacesavers® left in on-street parking spaces that have been
shoveled out must be removed 48 hours after a snow emergency has
ended."
- "After exceptional storms (snowfall exceeds two
feet), the mayor may prohibit parking on the odd side of secondary
roads and only allow parking on the even side, until crews can clear
the snow. This is rare and has not happened since 2003."
There are off street parking spaces available to residents during the storm.
Go to the bottom of the parking page, www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking,
choose your neighborhood and you'll see a list of available parking
lots and garages and what they charge under this program. Prices in
private garages range from $1 to $12.50 for 24 hours. In some sections
of the city municipal lots are free for those with resident stickers.
All of these are on a first come, first serve basis.
Once
you are on your neighborhood page, you can download a PDF map of the
major arteries with special parking regulations in your area. It can be
hard to see the link. It's at the top of the page. We've circled it in
red on the screen-grab above. Clicking on the word, "map" will download
a PDF map of the snow emergency arteries in that neighborhood.
Digging Out
Once
snow falls, you see how seldom some cars in Boston are moved. We walk
by cars that sit, snow-covered, for weeks on end. If you do dig your
car out, you are not supposed to put the snow onto the street or a
cleared sidewalk. That adds to the fun of the job.
If you
live in a section of the city with a tradition of space savers, the
city says those must be and will be removed 48 hours after a snow
emergency has been lifted. For those new to this game "space savers"
are chairs, trash cans, and other objects that are placed in cleared
and empty parking spaces to save the spot for the person who shoveled
it.
Once snow, slush or ice is on the ground someone has to remove it from sidewalks.
In the city of Boston and most surrounding communities that someone is you or the people you hire to do it for you.
In Boston the rules can be downloaded on this page from the sidebar headline that says, "An Ordinance Regarding The Prompt and Complete
Removal of Snow and Ice From Sidewalks and Abutting Curb Ramps":
Between sunrise and sunset, if your building has six or fewer units, you have six hours to remove snow.
If your building has more than six units, you only have three hours.
And the degree to which you remove the snow, slush or ice is laid out in the city ordinance.
"Removal of any slush
or snow should be conducted along the full paved width of such sidewalk
and in a manner that ensures the orderly flow and safety of pedestrian
traffic upon such sidewalks. Removal of any slush or snow shall be
conducted in a manner that clears the full paved path or a minimum of
forty-two (42) inches wide.
In the case of ice, it says:
"Removal of any ice
shall be in a manner consistent with the requirements of the preceding
sub-section, except that any such owner, manager, or tenant shall be
deemed to be in compliance with this paragraph if such ice is made
level and completely covered with sand, sawdust, or other appropriate
material to prevent slipping."
As to where you put the snow from your own stairs and walkways, that gets tricky because the ordinance says:
"No person shall remove slush, snow, or ice from privately-owned real property and place it upon any sidewalk or street."
French Toast Alert System
If you're new to the area or haven't been paying attention, you may not
know this term. French Toast Alert comes from the rush to grocery stores for basic provisions (milk, bread and eggs) when storms are predicted.
Here's a link to the master page of the official French Toast Alert system for this area.
http://www.universalhub.com/french-toast
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Details:
Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2009 Penny Cherubino
Here's the place to start for winter storm information from the city:
http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/
Subscribe to Snow Emergency Alerts by text, voice or email:
http://www.cityofboston.gov/alerts/
Snow Emergency phone numbers in Boston:
Main number: 617.635.3050
Full list of contact numbers is here:
http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/emergencyphone.asp
