In Defense of DC

[chargirlgenius]

I know that the Washington area is the laughing stock of the country the way we shut down when we get snow. I used to laugh at it all of the time, still occasionally do. But our inability to cope with snow and cold like, say, Minnesotans, is valid.

First of all, all of you in northern climes know how crazy it is during the first snowfall of the year. It's like everybody forgot how to drive in it over the summery. Every snowfall here is like that, because they're so few and far between. We just don't get to practice all that much. And when the first snow hits, it's more likely January or February, not October or November. That means that the last time we drove in it was probably last January or February, not just a few months back in April. Many of you in WI and MN get more experience driving in the snow in one month than Washingtonians will get in an entire lifetime. It's not because we're stupid (though some people are), but just inexperienced.

Next, Washington is an international city. Have you ever played the license plate game on long road trips? Where you keep track of all of the states that you've seen? They're all here. I see Hawaii on a regular basis. Even GUAM. And then there are the foreign dignitary plates. Washington is full of people from all over the country and all over the world. People move in for short terms of service, and move out again. It's a constantly shifting place. Many of these drivers are from places like Hawaii, Guam, etc. Some of these people have never seen snow in their lives. That makes it trickier.

In a place like Washington, we have our fair share of "bad drivers". So do other places, for certes, but our bad drivers are bad in a WIDE variety of ways. I've heard it said that in so cal, the bad drivers are at least usually consistent in what you can expect. Not here. That's one reason our traffic is so bad on a normal day.

For example, were my classes not cancelled for tonight, I likely could not have gone, because our sitter is from a warm part of Peru and has never driven in the snow.

As for the cold... Yes, I know that a couple of weeks ago while we were all complaining about the freezing temps, it was 20 below in MN. It's all relative. In both places, it was a good 20 degrees plus lower than what we were used to. How often do we get that? I heard it was the coldest snap in 10 years. Our houses aren't insulated for that kind of weather. Why should we over insulate and over prepare, when it's only happening occasionally? Most people don't have coats that keep you comfortable under 20. Would you spend $100 on a coat you'll only use once every 5-10 years?

We prep for what's normal around here. We have equipment for what we expect. What's better? Prepare for the worst case scenario, or just recognize that people don't have the practice, and close everything occasionally?

I'm sure I'll continue to rant and rave about how people drive, and the stupid things that they do, like the guy who passed the plow on a winding road in front of me this morning. But Washington has it's reasons. I'm growing more and more annoyed at people on weather blogs, etc., taking on an air of superiority about Washington shutting down. We get it. You're used to it. We're not. Stop being a jerk.

ETA: flonzy's comment reminded me of the other point I forgot to make. When we get a storm, it's frequently part ice-storm. Those tend to throw even experienced snow drivers into ditches.

Comments

[flonzy.livejournal.com]

One of my coworkers is from Buffalo NY and he thinks there is another issue with northern driving her thinking our thin wet snow is the same as deep powder and they slide and crash.


Really it is mostly about our insane traffic. Rain screws things up enough here much less snow causing secondary roads to become 1 lane and people going half speed.

Another reason I am glad to have moved away from the main population.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's our far out location that makes it harder on us. In Alexandria, we could at least walk to stores no problem. Here, we're stuck. Stuck. You've been here during snow. :-)

It's another plank in my "walkable neighborhoods/smart growth" platform. :-D

[hazebrouck.livejournal.com]

Diplomatic immunity!

[spikywheel.livejournal.com]

We got 1" of snow on Monday night last week and almost everything shut down Tuesday & Wed & schools opened 2 hrs late on Thursday.

I drove to work at 6am tuesday AM trying to stay away from people swirving around on the roads.

Telecommuting with both kids at home is FUN.

[pumaviking.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I am fully sick of people implying it's not cold here, just because it's colder where they are. I'm sorry, 12 degrees? That's still cold, y'all.

[verymelm.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think another point worth mentioning is that places that are used to getting a lot of snow also maintain a reasonable amount of snow removal equipment and a budget sufficient to support clearing lots of snow. Places that don't, well.. don't. It takes a lot of time and equipment to clear roads and if you only have to do it once or maybe twice a year, there's not much point in maintaining all the equipment to do it quickly.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

Yep. I mentioned it, but not nearly as well or concisely as you did in your comment. :-)

It bites for those for whom staying home is a burden, but in general, it's better on the tax burden.

[verymelm.livejournal.com]

Ah, sorry. I misinterpreted your use of "equipment" to mean personal coping and driving ability/skill.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I can totally see how that read that way.

I'll explain my thought a bit more:

As you said, it's silly for municipalities to buy all of that machinery for the once or twice a winter scenario. Even if they *did* have the budgets to buy it, the simple fact that most individuals will have trouble makes it less worth the cost. Best to just close.

[verymelm.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly what I was thinking. :)

(As annoyed as I sometimes get at the plows that drive by my window at 4 a.m., living in southern MN it's a small price to pay for not being trapped at home more often than not for several months of the year.)

[soucyn.livejournal.com]

I've found that, at least down a bit farther south, most of the time the snow covers a layer of ice (either it starts as an ice storm, or snow is compacted by driving on it before it's cleared). While one can generally drive slowly though snow and get there, ice is another matter. That doesn't stop "Yankees" from driving normal speeds with their SUV's though. When they end up in a ditch, they curse the lack of snow removal equipment, then kindly take help from a gentleman with a large truck, some chains, and a sweet tea accent.

[noxcat.livejournal.com]

Even further south, like here in Texas, the problem is almost always ice and almost never snow. (snow? Just wait a couple hours. It'll melt away.) It frequently starts as rain, or maybe snow flurries, but melts as it hits the warm ground. If the temps get low enough, it does eventually freeze.

Speeding is a big problem here, no matter what the weather. People don't seem to understand that light rain is worse for road conditions than heavy rain. It gets moist enough through drizzle or fog to get the roafs slightly wet, and that just makes the road oils float up off the road, and voila!slick rods.

We have a lot of elevated roads, too, since it rarely gets cold enough for them to freeze over. But it does happen - supposedly it's going to tonight.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I remember snarking Texas once, and somebody pointed out the ice problem to me. Oops.

[noxcat.livejournal.com]

It's ok, I snark them all the time. :) People here refuse to drive any slower than 5 to 10mph above the speed limit, no matter what the weather. No wnder there are so many problems during bad weather!

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

There's nothing more dangerous than overconfidence! Well, maybe a sharp curve at the bottom of a steep hill.

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Let me just point out that at least the FedroSplat doesn't get much snow. There's really no excuse for Eastern PA and NJ to behave badly about snow the way they do. (Well, except for tax policies: while it is true that if you wait long enough to clear the snow, it will go away on its own without costing overtime, there are other drawbacks...)

[beatrixherald.livejournal.com]

I agree. As a Yankee new-engander Mass-Hole (Ie from massachusetts), I think it is much easier to just close for a few hours or a day and let the smaller infrastructure clear things out. it only snows one or two times a year down here. that is still less down time than the northern climes usually have to deal with in winter.

Another missing piece of the infrastructure is the private plow guys who do the parking lots and stuff. Companies don't want to have people falling and sueing on their way into the office. Just stay home.

As for people in the North... the problem is just as bad in CT and Rhode Island, and I assume other coastal places in the north, where it snows less than inland, but they can't play the infrastructure card. If it snows more than 2 inches in New Haven, all of a sudden people can't drive. Maybe it DOES have to do with there being more Ice where it is warmer.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I didn't think of the private plowers at all. Good point. I should remember that, since we don't have anybody to do our road. It's technically private, so we're screwed.

I've lived in the upper midwest most of my life, and I'm guilty of the snark, but I know better now!

[jljonsn.livejournal.com]

Saw a few cars in the ditch this afternoon.

(unrelated comment) Mmmm... Ramshead Copperhead ale.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

Mmm.

Yeah, it's not like people in Wisconsin don't end up in the ditch too.

[cbellfleur.livejournal.com]

The Tidewater/Hampton Roads part of Virginia has similar problems with snow/ice removal. We don't get it all that often, and it's usually more ice than snow. They cancelled school last Tuesday and we never saw a single flake of snow!
I can also relate to the problem of having people from all over who may or may not have experience with icy roads. This area is highly military. Both of us are come-heres, J. from up-state NY and I'm from WV, so we were trained to handle the bad roads, but it was 30 years ago.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

When everybody is from a different place, the wide range of experience can make it very strange!

[odettedamboise.livejournal.com]

Its the Virgina drivers, when I was in high school I saw a VA BMV in Springfield Mall. Ever since I have blamed Virginia drivers because you could buy your drivers license in a mall.

Indiana drivers are not only bad in the snow, they have problems driving in the rain (normal non-freezing rain no less). I heard someone on the radio complaining in December that everyone was driving like there was 6 inches of snow when it was a dusting, except it was freezing rain not snow and my Forester almost skidding past our street when I was doing less than 5 MPH because the freezing rain had left the road covered with little ball bearings of ice.

As for being cold in DC, several years ago my dad was TDY in Fairbanks, and he read me the NASA regulations of how many hours you could work outside depending how many degrees below zero it was. Ironically, the weeks he was in Alaska it was colder in DC than it was in Fairbanks, and it never got cold enough there for his time outside to be restricted.

Houses insulation depends on the age and construction of the house. The house I grew up in was brick and block with plaster and lathe, it was never cold (unless you were my grandmother who was always cold). My parents new house is way colder, but again it's my mother's "cardboard house" (stick build with siding and dry-wall) and the wind is whipping in from the Bay against the big windows.

Sometimes it isn't perspective, sometimes it is actually colder in DC than it is in MN or AK. Just not often

[usagi629.livejournal.com]

Lots of states have express license locations in malls. There used to be one in Memphis, TN.. They don't give out new licenses there though, just renew ones, so it's not like they test you at those locations or anything.

I think they should RE-test everyone every so many years, seriously, because I don't care what state you live in, there are some BAD drivers out there from ALL over, and they just have to pass once in some state somewhere, and most any other state will transfer their license over if they move, without re-testing, and you can just renew renew renew, until your vision goes out (read: you get to be an old fart who can't see), and THEN they finally take it away...

[usagi629.livejournal.com]

I find it funny how you describe DC as 'shutting down'... I've always been pretty well impressed with the efficiency in which the streets get cleared, even in the areas outside the city.. SOMD isn't /as/ good with theirs, but I was still impressed with it.

Of course I am coming from the south and you are coming from the north, so there's the difference in perception. In the south, there is no street clearing... you just don't leave your house!!!

It's the same on the west coast though too...

I dunno it's just funny to me.. because I find the southern states and west coast (like Portland) to be laughing stocks when it snows.. not DC.. I think DC is pretty darn on top of things, but I've never lived anywhere further north than this.. Still, for as little snow as we get, I'd say we manage it quite well.

[karolines.livejournal.com]

even in Wisconsin, we foolishly forget and get shut down for lack of equipment. We had several very mild winters without much snow, and rather warm. So when looking for things to cut in the budget, snow removal was quick to go. and then we got socked by a very snowy winter (last year and December especially of this winter) and suddenly we're unprepared. In central Wisconsin, snowfalls were only a little above average last winter, but way more than the last several years, and people acted like we've never had winter here before. When old plows wore out, they weren't replaced. The plow fleet was down by a third, and they only hired half of the drivers. And then they ran out of salt.
Thankfully things are better prepared this winter. Even with record snowfalls for December, they were doing prep work, like leaving room for more snow when it came. And I have heard that WI and areas of the midwest purchased so much salt that it ran up the price for the rest of the country.
And we still have our areas and our days when we shut down completely. Like my old high school. A few years before I moved into the district, my classmates got stuck overnight at the middle school. So the district tended to overreact to snow. My senior year, I think we had over a dozen late-start, early-release, and snowdays.