As Baltimore clears its streets, the residents often become as much of an obstacle as the snow does.
The city of Baltimore is still recovering from last weekend’s crippling 26-to-30-inch snowstorm (with another 10 to 20 inches of snow arriving this afternoon), and there’s understandably a lot of talk about how well the city has handled the job of clearing its streets of snow and ice. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake—only having been in office since last Thursday—and the agencies she oversees have received plenty of praise for their handling of the situation, and also a lot of complaints about what hasn’t been done yet.
To those of you who are bashing the mayor and the city for how they’ve done so far, I offer two words: BE PATIENT. And to those who counter that with “I have been patient for long enough!” I answer with three more words: NO YOU HAVEN’T.
Consider the following, if you will:
- For a city that has a nationally-famous reputation for being managed badly, a lot is getting done. The city is handling the aftermath of this storm better than it has handled much smaller storms that came in the weeks—and years—before it. The city seems to be learning to do things better, but total improvement can’t happen overnight.
- The city does not have the equipment, personnel, or resources to handle a snowstorm of this magnitude. Realistically, we shouldn’t expect it to, since this is a city that gets an average of 18 inches of snow a year (usually in the form of several smaller storms) and is coping with budget shortfalls and a massive deficit.
- The mayor has been upfront and transparent about how the street operations have been going. She’s been making unprecedented use of social media networks to keep citizens informed about the efforts that are being made and making herself much more available to radio and television stations than her predecessor ever did.
- The streets that matter the most are, for the most part, in excellent shape. Yes, there are a lot of people who can’t get off their side streets, but if the city does not clear enough of the snow and ice on its most important roadways, the city will not be able to handle even a greatly reduced amount of necessary traffic, roads will become gridlocked everywhere, public transit will be unable to operate, the city will grind to a halt, and it won’t matter if you can get out of your residential parking space in the first place.
I’ve done more than my share of driving around in the city since the snowstorm first arrived, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the city is handling it better than its residents, who are often more to blame than the city is for more progress not being made on the condition of the roads.
Allow me to explain.
Baltimore’s most essential roadways are designated as “snow emergency routes” and are marked with black-and-white signs that specify 12-hour periods in which you are prohibited from parking your car on that side of the block when instructed by the city. Everyone understands the meaning of these instructions, and the city goes to reasonable lengths to let people know when a snow emergency is being declared (and really, in situations such as this one, you shouldn’t even need to be told). My main gripe with the city is that it rarely seems to enforce these rules by ticketing and towing those who don’t comply; regardless, the law is out there and it’s clear.
That said, here’s how things are supposed to work: People clear their cars from the snow emergency routes. Those roads are plowed from curb to curb, restoring the entire width of those roadways. People are then able to to use the available parking on those roads, allowing the city to focus on plowing secondary roads and residential streets that are littered with less automotive obstacles. If the plan is followed by all, more gets done, and it gets done faster.
After having heard a lot of complaints about the condition of Baltimore’s trendy and iconic Hampden neighborhood, I took it upon myself to check it out last night. West 36th Street, known locally as “The Avenue”, was in miserable shape: limited room for traffic, piles of snow all over the place, and a roadway that wasn’t even snowpacked very well (much less plowed clear). However, it was clear to me that the city wasn’t given much room to work with, since much of the snow piling was done around cars that were left on the street during the storm—some in regular parking spaces, some wherever they could be left. This is a scene I saw in other neighboorhoods as well, such as Fells Point.
To those who live in these neighborhoods and have been venting your fury nonstop, let me assure you that you’re being heard. Maybe too much. If your street hasn’t been cleared, don’t take it personally; the city is learning to handle these circumstances better, it is focusing first and most on its highest priorities, and it is underequipped to handle the task at hand, even this long after the last flake has fallen. Yes, you absolutely should hold the city responsible for what needs to be done, and yes, you have every right to be frustrated if your car is still trapped by snow…but after a certain point, your words becomes noise, your demeanor turns bitter, and you encourage people to tune you out when they would otherwise listen. Don’t go there; it will only make things worse for you (and also for those who can hear you).
And to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, you’ve handled this crisis remarkable well for someone who’s only been on the job for a few days; just understand that beyond all this praise are a lot of expectations for the future.
