There will be no school all week - Here is why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a neighbor is out of town, or is sick, dealing with cancer, doesn't have a shovel to chop the ice, or elderly (Principal admits it's a sheet of ice), etc. The comment "chose" heavily implies that the neighbors had a choice to clear but didn't because they don't feel like it.

Our neighbor chose to shovel his driveway but not the sidewalk that houses the bus stop. It was a choice. It’s ok to acknowledge that some people are a%*holes.

THIS! There isnt a single house with the sidewalks not shoveled that also doesnt have a driveway shoveled. Not a single one.

Probably because those people need their driveway and don’t need their sidewalk. It’s not realistic to rely on residents for this. You can say how it should be all you want but it’s just not realistic.

I chose not to shovel my sidewalk and my neighbors did the same. Everyone is just walking on top of the snow without issue. We don't need sidewalks cleared.

What I also chose to do last night was submit a complaint with VDOT about the entrance to my neighborhood because there's no way a school bus could turn right without the merge lane being plowed. Right now the plow tracker shows a VDOT plow at that same spot I complained about.

We need to submit targeted complaints about the issues in our own neighborhoods so VDOT can prioritize it. There are a lot of plows in the southern part of the state right now and not very many in NOVA. Get online and tell them what's preventing the buses from getting into your respective neighborhoods.

Sidewalks get cleared - I'm not sure why you and neighbors are such A**holes, but this is how it works anywhere there is a winter storm in the rest of the country.

WOW still having tantrums huh?

If you electively chose to plow your driveway and leave the sidewalks alone, you are an a**hole. Simple

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a neighbor is out of town, or is sick, dealing with cancer, doesn't have a shovel to chop the ice, or elderly (Principal admits it's a sheet of ice), etc. The comment "chose" heavily implies that the neighbors had a choice to clear but didn't because they don't feel like it.

Our neighbor chose to shovel his driveway but not the sidewalk that houses the bus stop. It was a choice. It’s ok to acknowledge that some people are a%*holes.

THIS! There isnt a single house with the sidewalks not shoveled that also doesnt have a driveway shoveled. Not a single one.

Probably because those people need their driveway and don’t need their sidewalk. It’s not realistic to rely on residents for this. You can say how it should be all you want but it’s just not realistic.

I chose not to shovel my sidewalk and my neighbors did the same. Everyone is just walking on top of the snow without issue. We don't need sidewalks cleared.

What I also chose to do last night was submit a complaint with VDOT about the entrance to my neighborhood because there's no way a school bus could turn right without the merge lane being plowed. Right now the plow tracker shows a VDOT plow at that same spot I complained about.

We need to submit targeted complaints about the issues in our own neighborhoods so VDOT can prioritize it. There are a lot of plows in the southern part of the state right now and not very many in NOVA. Get online and tell them what's preventing the buses from getting into your respective neighborhoods.

Sidewalks get cleared - I'm not sure why you and neighbors are such A**holes, but this is how it works anywhere there is a winter storm in the rest of the country.

WOW still having tantrums huh?

If you BRAG about such fact, you're worse than an A**hole

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a neighbor is out of town, or is sick, dealing with cancer, doesn't have a shovel to chop the ice, or elderly (Principal admits it's a sheet of ice), etc. The comment "chose" heavily implies that the neighbors had a choice to clear but didn't because they don't feel like it.

Our neighbor chose to shovel his driveway but not the sidewalk that houses the bus stop. It was a choice. It’s ok to acknowledge that some people are a%*holes.

THIS! There isnt a single house with the sidewalks not shoveled that also doesnt have a driveway shoveled. Not a single one.

Probably because those people need their driveway and don’t need their sidewalk. It’s not realistic to rely on residents for this. You can say how it should be all you want but it’s just not realistic.

I chose not to shovel my sidewalk and my neighbors did the same. Everyone is just walking on top of the snow without issue. We don't need sidewalks cleared.

What I also chose to do last night was submit a complaint with VDOT about the entrance to my neighborhood because there's no way a school bus could turn right without the merge lane being plowed. Right now the plow tracker shows a VDOT plow at that same spot I complained about.

We need to submit targeted complaints about the issues in our own neighborhoods so VDOT can prioritize it. There are a lot of plows in the southern part of the state right now and not very many in NOVA. Get online and tell them what's preventing the buses from getting into your respective neighborhoods.

Sidewalks get cleared - I'm not sure why you and neighbors are such A**holes, but this is how it works anywhere there is a winter storm in the rest of the country.

WOW still having tantrums huh?

If you BRAG about such fact, you're worse than an A**hole

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a neighbor is out of town, or is sick, dealing with cancer, doesn't have a shovel to chop the ice, or elderly (Principal admits it's a sheet of ice), etc. The comment "chose" heavily implies that the neighbors had a choice to clear but didn't because they don't feel like it.

Our neighbor chose to shovel his driveway but not the sidewalk that houses the bus stop. It was a choice. It’s ok to acknowledge that some people are a%*holes.

THIS! There isnt a single house with the sidewalks not shoveled that also doesnt have a driveway shoveled. Not a single one.

Probably because those people need their driveway and don’t need their sidewalk. It’s not realistic to rely on residents for this. You can say how it should be all you want but it’s just not realistic.

I chose not to shovel my sidewalk and my neighbors did the same. Everyone is just walking on top of the snow without issue. We don't need sidewalks cleared.

What I also chose to do last night was submit a complaint with VDOT about the entrance to my neighborhood because there's no way a school bus could turn right without the merge lane being plowed. Right now the plow tracker shows a VDOT plow at that same spot I complained about.

We need to submit targeted complaints about the issues in our own neighborhoods so VDOT can prioritize it. There are a lot of plows in the southern part of the state right now and not very many in NOVA. Get online and tell them what's preventing the buses from getting into your respective neighborhoods.

Sidewalks get cleared - I'm not sure why you and neighbors are such A**holes, but this is how it works anywhere there is a winter storm in the rest of the country.

WOW still having tantrums huh?

If you electively chose to plow your driveway and leave the sidewalks alone, you are an a**hole. Simple

+1. All those people who literally live near an elementary school and shoveled their driveways so they can take their car out but purposely ignored their sidewalks are such jerks. If they had spent another hour shoveling their sidewalk, the kids won’t have been forced to walk on the street but in this country who has ever truly cared about the welfare of children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a neighbor is out of town, or is sick, dealing with cancer, doesn't have a shovel to chop the ice, or elderly (Principal admits it's a sheet of ice), etc. The comment "chose" heavily implies that the neighbors had a choice to clear but didn't because they don't feel like it.

Our neighbor chose to shovel his driveway but not the sidewalk that houses the bus stop. It was a choice. It’s ok to acknowledge that some people are a%*holes.

THIS! There isnt a single house with the sidewalks not shoveled that also doesnt have a driveway shoveled. Not a single one.

Probably because those people need their driveway and don’t need their sidewalk. It’s not realistic to rely on residents for this. You can say how it should be all you want but it’s just not realistic.

I chose not to shovel my sidewalk and my neighbors did the same. Everyone is just walking on top of the snow without issue. We don't need sidewalks cleared.

What I also chose to do last night was submit a complaint with VDOT about the entrance to my neighborhood because there's no way a school bus could turn right without the merge lane being plowed. Right now the plow tracker shows a VDOT plow at that same spot I complained about.

We need to submit targeted complaints about the issues in our own neighborhoods so VDOT can prioritize it. There are a lot of plows in the southern part of the state right now and not very many in NOVA. Get online and tell them what's preventing the buses from getting into your respective neighborhoods.

Sidewalks get cleared - I'm not sure why you and neighbors are such A**holes, but this is how it works anywhere there is a winter storm in the rest of the country.

WOW still having tantrums huh?

If you electively chose to plow your driveway and leave the sidewalks alone, you are an a**hole. Simple

+1. All those people who literally live near an elementary school and shoveled their driveways so they can take their car out but purposely ignored their sidewalks are such jerks. If they had spent another hour shoveling their sidewalk, the kids won’t have been forced to walk on the street but in this country who has ever truly cared about the welfare of children.

Wow. What a statement.

FWIW, it takes a lot more than an hour to shovel a sidewalk in this mess. Agree they should be shoveled, but there are many who have not shoveled their driveways completely. We have senior citizens, and disabled people, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should have been working on this all of last week. Clown behavior.

+1M
Not a plow to be seen anywhere now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have been working on this all of last week. Clown behavior.

+1M
Not a plow to be seen anywhere now.

it’s almost as if it snowed in another part of the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have been working on this all of last week. Clown behavior.

+1M
Not a plow to be seen anywhere now.

it’s almost as if it snowed in another part of the state.

All the more reason to just open school. The cavalry isn’t coming.

[Anonymous]

Lots of people have heart disease. Lots. Shoveling isn’t for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Where can I find the most accurate weather forecast for Fairfax county?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ice and snow are not the same.

They can't snap their fingers and make plows and drivers appear out of thin air. For one thing, southern VA got hit with snow a few days ago, and plows went down there. For another, at least some of the drivers for VDOT are independent contractors with other gigs going.

Ice and snow are not the same.

Weather.com says that highs will be above freezing every day this week,(42 degrees tomorrow). Whatever equipment and manpower that can be deployed will be able to do more than they can in sub-freezing temps. However, large banks of ice will still be hard to clear, especially since we go below freezing every night.

Ice and snow are not the same.

FCPS is not all-powerful and has to work with the weather, personnel, equipment and supplies/budget that they have. This storm is not like other storms because...

Ice and snow are not the same.

Yes ice and snow are not the same but does VDOT know that? Whose bright idea was it to send pick up plow trucks and just clear enough for one car to be able to pass at a time. Were they not aware that we are going to have freezing temperature the entire week and it’s best to clear the entire road because it WILL turn into ice. Such lack of foresight and leadership by Fairfax county.

We had a plow truck in our street on Sunday and they kept clearing a narrow 10 foot lane instead of making sure the entire road was clear. Thats why the buses can’t go on our street and students can’t walk in the narrow lanes because they will get hit by a car. VDOT and Fairfax county clearly mismanaged this. We get it was ice but they knew that 10 days ahead and also had the entire week last week to fix it. FCPS has cleared up all their sidewalks and parking lots but they can’t clean areas that are not in their domain. I too grew up in the north and the county always had a plan for such storms but seems like Fairfax just likes to sit around and wait for the snow to magically go away.

This happened in our neighborhood. It drove me crazy to see them only clear one lane, had a train of trucks been following each other and making multiple passes, while it was still dry as ice powdery sleet, they might have gotten somewhere before it turned to solid ice making it impossible to move without a front loader.

Even at this point the only way to move the massive berms off of the sidewalks is with a front loader.

I saw neighborhood private plow companies being proactive on Sunday with Bobcats moving piles of snow, left by larger plow trucks of road sides and sidewalks. Again before it turned to solid ice.

Those neighborhoods look great.

I blame the ICE crackdowns. This is what happens when you lock up all of the cheap labor and make people afraid to leave the house to work.

Folks in my neighborhood were paying the few brave souls venturing out seeking snow removal jobs $200 to clear parking spaces. These teams were outworking the neighbors shoveling their own ice. They could shovel a spot in 30 mins, neighbors not paying were out there from noon till dusk. My Trumpy neighbor was still shoveling after 7pm. Serves him right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ice and snow are not the same.

They can't snap their fingers and make plows and drivers appear out of thin air. For one thing, southern VA got hit with snow a few days ago, and plows went down there. For another, at least some of the drivers for VDOT are independent contractors with other gigs going.

Ice and snow are not the same.

Weather.com says that highs will be above freezing every day this week,(42 degrees tomorrow). Whatever equipment and manpower that can be deployed will be able to do more than they can in sub-freezing temps. However, large banks of ice will still be hard to clear, especially since we go below freezing every night.

Ice and snow are not the same.

FCPS is not all-powerful and has to work with the weather, personnel, equipment and supplies/budget that they have. This storm is not like other storms because...

Ice and snow are not the same.

Yes ice and snow are not the same but does VDOT know that? Whose bright idea was it to send pick up plow trucks and just clear enough for one car to be able to pass at a time. Were they not aware that we are going to have freezing temperature the entire week and it’s best to clear the entire road because it WILL turn into ice. Such lack of foresight and leadership by Fairfax county.

We had a plow truck in our street on Sunday and they kept clearing a narrow 10 foot lane instead of making sure the entire road was clear. Thats why the buses can’t go on our street and students can’t walk in the narrow lanes because they will get hit by a car. VDOT and Fairfax county clearly mismanaged this. We get it was ice but they knew that 10 days ahead and also had the entire week last week to fix it. FCPS has cleared up all their sidewalks and parking lots but they can’t clean areas that are not in their domain. I too grew up in the north and the county always had a plan for such storms but seems like Fairfax just likes to sit around and wait for the snow to magically go away.

This happened in our neighborhood. It drove me crazy to see them only clear one lane, had a train of trucks been following each other and making multiple passes, while it was still dry as ice powdery sleet, they might have gotten somewhere before it turned to solid ice making it impossible to move without a front loader.

Even at this point the only way to move the massive berms off of the sidewalks is with a front loader.

I saw neighborhood private plow companies being proactive on Sunday with Bobcats moving piles of snow, left by larger plow trucks of road sides and sidewalks. Again before it turned to solid ice.

Those neighborhoods look great.

I blame the ICE crackdowns. This is what happens when you lock up all of the cheap labor and make people afraid to leave the house to work.

Folks in my neighborhood were paying the few brave souls venturing out seeking snow removal jobs $200 to clear parking spaces. These teams were outworking the neighbors shoveling their own ice. They could shovel a spot in 30 mins, neighbors not paying were out there from noon till dusk. My Trumpy neighbor was still shoveling after 7pm. Serves him right.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have been working on this all of last week. Clown behavior.

+1M
Not a plow to be seen anywhere now.

Drove by an FCPS middle school 30 minutes ago that has a Bobcat clearing the entrance to the school and trying to clear some buses. Why are they doing this now instead of last week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just keep in mind that every private school in the DMV has been open since last Thursday. And yes most of them have buses too.

That seems reasonable to me. Those kids get driven by mom and dad either to school, or to the library/shopping center/wherever parking lot for pickups. They aren't standing on ice or in the road waiting for a bus or walking in the road/on icy sidewalks to get to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drove past LBSS this weekend and there are completely uncleared sidewalks typically used by walkers.

Not sure how this is supposed to work.

yes, saw it sunday, kids will be in the street. This is the largest school in VA and all the sidewalks surrounding the school are super high. No clearing at bus stops in our neighborhood. Driveways pristine, but sidewalks untouched all throughout.

So unsafe. Kids should be back in school, but how can they walk with no clearing?

The Lake Braddock neighborhood put together a clean up crew of parents. Cleared the sidewalk on Lake Braddock Drive from Burke Rd to Burke Lake Rd. Then, went back into the side streets and cleared out bus stops. The school has cleared the blacktop for students to park because there is no street parking. But, that is just one school and a huge, organized effort from the community.

This is excellent. Neighborhood cooperation and community spirit really is needed to make society run. Government can't do everything!

I'm sure lots of kids could safely get to school if parents knew their neighbors and agreed to carpool. Years ago we had a bus just not show up and one of the moms took all the kids at the stop (4 if I remember correctly, including her own) so that not all the moms had to go/any kid with a parent who had already left could actually get to school that day.

But you have to have a high-trust neighborhood for that to work.