Buses and bus depot snow removal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidewalks at bus stops may be a mess but schools will open anyway.

The best think parents could do last week and this weekend was to buy their kids snowboots to handle the snowbanks.

That was kind of you to offer parents snow boots for them and their kids

I'm a DCUM poor, and even I equip my family properly for winter. You buy in November. If your kid changes shoe size over the winter, you curse and buy again as soon as you realize it. BTDT.

DCUM poor isn’t the issue. There are really poor people in the county. Including those who have never had to deal with snow and ice before.

I grew up really poor. We got laughed at for wearing plastic bags over our shoes to try to stay dry. Fine, we got to school in the rain rather than sitting at home. However, you can’t climb a 2 foot mound of ice with plastic bags tied over your shoes.

I did, too. That's not how you do it. You put the plastic bags *inside* the shoes to keep your feet dry.

I find it hard to believe someone would actually do it the other way. Obviously that isn't going to work. The plastic would just tear.

DP. Nah kids who needed this method did it both ways.

I've seen plastic bags used many times. I've never seen someone try to put them outside the shoes. That isn't going to work. It will tear, and before it tears, you're going to fall. If you've seen people in Maryland do that, to maybe we do need to send a mass email out telling people what not to do.

I have seen plastic bags inside shoes. Then you just don't wear shoes at your desk, or, ideally, you bring a second set of old shoes.

As a child, you didn’t wear shoes at your desk at school? Or , as a child, you brought the old shoes that were now a size too small to wear all day?

Or you have only seen adults do this and have no idea what it is like to be a child sitting in soaking wet shoes in school for six hours?

Both would happen. We'd usually wear shoes, but sometimes not if they were soaked with water or mud.

In my elementary school, they actually encouraged us to keep a second set of shoes at school since they'd often be soaked after recess. I know MCPS doesn't do that, but they're much more reluctant to send kids outside for recess.

HS kids don't have lockers so it would be hard to take and carry two pair of shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are buses ready?

Bus depot?

Bus drivers navigating on these conditions?

13k bus stops?

Sidewalks leading to those bus stops? (County was going to resume enforcement of unshoveled sidewalks Monday)

They've been working on bus depots since last week. The pictures looked pretty good at the Clarksburg depot, and those were taken 5 days ago.

Bus stops and sidewalks don't need to be fully clear. Kids can walk on snow. But the county did a lot of work on sidewalks over the weekend.

And how are the roads where buses pass through? Looked like blocks of freezing rain. How will bus drivers turn around those snow banks? Will guardS be mitigating the intersections to assist bus drivers?! And the students who walk to and from school? And to the bus stops? Not everyone lives on a cul de sac.

Most streets are fine. There may be some exceptional cases where buses have to modify their routes. People will manage.

Source?

The county itself and a week of driving around.

So you saw ALL the roads where two lanes turn into one? It's bad enough that buses go through streets that are basically one lane both directions when there is no snow. And you want them to go through areas now where the snow is piled so they can't get through safely?

I've seen roads that have a lane clear. Just like I've seen roads that normally only have one lane available after cars park on both sides. People can manage. That's not a safety issue. It's a convenience issue.

Some of those roads don't have sidewalks and kids will be walking in those one lane cleared areas with the cars. That's not a safey issue. How will the busses get through?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are buses ready?

Bus depot?

Bus drivers navigating on these conditions?

13k bus stops?

Sidewalks leading to those bus stops? (County was going to resume enforcement of unshoveled sidewalks Monday)

They've been working on bus depots since last week. The pictures looked pretty good at the Clarksburg depot, and those were taken 5 days ago.

Bus stops and sidewalks don't need to be fully clear. Kids can walk on snow. But the county did a lot of work on sidewalks over the weekend.

And how are the roads where buses pass through? Looked like blocks of freezing rain. How will bus drivers turn around those snow banks? Will guardS be mitigating the intersections to assist bus drivers?! And the students who walk to and from school? And to the bus stops? Not everyone lives on a cul de sac.

Most streets are fine. There may be some exceptional cases where buses have to modify their routes. People will manage.

Source?

The county itself and a week of driving around.

So you saw ALL the roads where two lanes turn into one? It's bad enough that buses go through streets that are basically one lane both directions when there is no snow. And you want them to go through areas now where the snow is piled so they can't get through safely?

I've seen roads that have a lane clear. Just like I've seen roads that normally only have one lane available after cars park on both sides. People can manage. That's not a safety issue. It's a convenience issue.

Some of those roads don't have sidewalks and kids will be walking in those one lane cleared areas with the cars. That's not a safey issue. How will the busses get through?

They should change status to close by tomorrow morning. Allow child care to operate if that's what folks complain about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are buses ready?

Bus depot?

Bus drivers navigating on these conditions?

13k bus stops?

Sidewalks leading to those bus stops? (County was going to resume enforcement of unshoveled sidewalks Monday)

They've been working on bus depots since last week. The pictures looked pretty good at the Clarksburg depot, and those were taken 5 days ago.

Bus stops and sidewalks don't need to be fully clear. Kids can walk on snow. But the county did a lot of work on sidewalks over the weekend.

And how are the roads where buses pass through? Looked like blocks of freezing rain. How will bus drivers turn around those snow banks? Will guardS be mitigating the intersections to assist bus drivers?! And the students who walk to and from school? And to the bus stops? Not everyone lives on a cul de sac.

Most streets are fine. There may be some exceptional cases where buses have to modify their routes. People will manage.

Source?

The county itself and a week of driving around.

So you saw ALL the roads where two lanes turn into one? It's bad enough that buses go through streets that are basically one lane both directions when there is no snow. And you want them to go through areas now where the snow is piled so they can't get through safely?

I've seen roads that have a lane clear. Just like I've seen roads that normally only have one lane available after cars park on both sides. People can manage. That's not a safety issue. It's a convenience issue.

Some of those roads don't have sidewalks and kids will be walking in those one lane cleared areas with the cars. That's not a safey issue. How will the busses get through?

They should change status to close by tomorrow morning. Allow child care to operate if that's what folks complain about.

Child care has been open since Friday. That's not what people are concerned about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are buses ready?

Bus depot?

Bus drivers navigating on these conditions?

13k bus stops?

Sidewalks leading to those bus stops? (County was going to resume enforcement of unshoveled sidewalks Monday)

They've been working on bus depots since last week. The pictures looked pretty good at the Clarksburg depot, and those were taken 5 days ago.

Bus stops and sidewalks don't need to be fully clear. Kids can walk on snow. But the county did a lot of work on sidewalks over the weekend.

And how are the roads where buses pass through? Looked like blocks of freezing rain. How will bus drivers turn around those snow banks? Will guardS be mitigating the intersections to assist bus drivers?! And the students who walk to and from school? And to the bus stops? Not everyone lives on a cul de sac.

Most streets are fine. There may be some exceptional cases where buses have to modify their routes. People will manage.

Source?

The county itself and a week of driving around.

So you saw ALL the roads where two lanes turn into one? It's bad enough that buses go through streets that are basically one lane both directions when there is no snow. And you want them to go through areas now where the snow is piled so they can't get through safely?

I've seen roads that have a lane clear. Just like I've seen roads that normally only have one lane available after cars park on both sides. People can manage. That's not a safety issue. It's a convenience issue.

Some of those roads don't have sidewalks and kids will be walking in those one lane cleared areas with the cars. That's not a safey issue. How will the busses get through?

They should change status to close by tomorrow morning. Allow child care to operate if that's what folks complain about.

Not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidewalks at bus stops may be a mess but schools will open anyway.

The best think parents could do last week and this weekend was to buy their kids snowboots to handle the snowbanks.

That was kind of you to offer parents snow boots for them and their kids

I'm a DCUM poor, and even I equip my family properly for winter. You buy in November. If your kid changes shoe size over the winter, you curse and buy again as soon as you realize it. BTDT.

DCUM poor isn’t the issue. There are really poor people in the county. Including those who have never had to deal with snow and ice before.

I grew up really poor. We got laughed at for wearing plastic bags over our shoes to try to stay dry. Fine, we got to school in the rain rather than sitting at home. However, you can’t climb a 2 foot mound of ice with plastic bags tied over your shoes.

I did, too. That's not how you do it. You put the plastic bags *inside* the shoes to keep your feet dry.

I find it hard to believe someone would actually do it the other way. Obviously that isn't going to work. The plastic would just tear.

DP. Nah kids who needed this method did it both ways.

I've seen plastic bags used many times. I've never seen someone try to put them outside the shoes. That isn't going to work. It will tear, and before it tears, you're going to fall. If you've seen people in Maryland do that, to maybe we do need to send a mass email out telling people what not to do.

I have seen plastic bags inside shoes. Then you just don't wear shoes at your desk, or, ideally, you bring a second set of old shoes.

As a child, you didn’t wear shoes at your desk at school? Or , as a child, you brought the old shoes that were now a size too small to wear all day?

Or you have only seen adults do this and have no idea what it is like to be a child sitting in soaking wet shoes in school for six hours?

Both would happen. We'd usually wear shoes, but sometimes not if they were soaked with water or mud.

In my elementary school, they actually encouraged us to keep a second set of shoes at school since they'd often be soaked after recess. I know MCPS doesn't do that, but they're much more reluctant to send kids outside for recess.

HS kids don't have lockers so it would be hard to take and carry two pair of shoes.

You would be amazed how many kids bring extra shoes to school. Most of my students have everything except school supplies in their backpacks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidewalks at bus stops may be a mess but schools will open anyway.

The best think parents could do last week and this weekend was to buy their kids snowboots to handle the snowbanks.

That was kind of you to offer parents snow boots for them and their kids

I'm a DCUM poor, and even I equip my family properly for winter. You buy in November. If your kid changes shoe size over the winter, you curse and buy again as soon as you realize it. BTDT.

DCUM poor isn’t the issue. There are really poor people in the county. Including those who have never had to deal with snow and ice before.

I grew up really poor. We got laughed at for wearing plastic bags over our shoes to try to stay dry. Fine, we got to school in the rain rather than sitting at home. However, you can’t climb a 2 foot mound of ice with plastic bags tied over your shoes.

I did, too. That's not how you do it. You put the plastic bags *inside* the shoes to keep your feet dry.

I find it hard to believe someone would actually do it the other way. Obviously that isn't going to work. The plastic would just tear.

DP. Nah kids who needed this method did it both ways.

I've seen plastic bags used many times. I've never seen someone try to put them outside the shoes. That isn't going to work. It will tear, and before it tears, you're going to fall. If you've seen people in Maryland do that, to maybe we do need to send a mass email out telling people what not to do.

I have seen plastic bags inside shoes. Then you just don't wear shoes at your desk, or, ideally, you bring a second set of old shoes.

As a child, you didn’t wear shoes at your desk at school? Or , as a child, you brought the old shoes that were now a size too small to wear all day?

Or you have only seen adults do this and have no idea what it is like to be a child sitting in soaking wet shoes in school for six hours?

Both would happen. We'd usually wear shoes, but sometimes not if they were soaked with water or mud.

In my elementary school, they actually encouraged us to keep a second set of shoes at school since they'd often be soaked after recess. I know MCPS doesn't do that, but they're much more reluctant to send kids outside for recess.

HS kids don't have lockers so it would be hard to take and carry two pair of shoes.

You would be amazed how many kids bring extra shoes to school. Most of my students have everything except school supplies in their backpacks

And many have their athletic bag too to keep their athletic gear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are buses ready?

Bus depot?

Bus drivers navigating on these conditions?

13k bus stops?

Sidewalks leading to those bus stops? (County was going to resume enforcement of unshoveled sidewalks Monday)

They've been working on bus depots since last week. The pictures looked pretty good at the Clarksburg depot, and those were taken 5 days ago.

Bus stops and sidewalks don't need to be fully clear. Kids can walk on snow. But the county did a lot of work on sidewalks over the weekend.

And how are the roads where buses pass through? Looked like blocks of freezing rain. How will bus drivers turn around those snow banks? Will guardS be mitigating the intersections to assist bus drivers?! And the students who walk to and from school? And to the bus stops? Not everyone lives on a cul de sac.

Most streets are fine. There may be some exceptional cases where buses have to modify their routes. People will manage.

Source?

The county itself and a week of driving around.

So you saw ALL the roads where two lanes turn into one? It's bad enough that buses go through streets that are basically one lane both directions when there is no snow. And you want them to go through areas now where the snow is piled so they can't get through safely?

I've seen roads that have a lane clear. Just like I've seen roads that normally only have one lane available after cars park on both sides. People can manage. That's not a safety issue. It's a convenience issue.

Some of those roads don't have sidewalks and kids will be walking in those one lane cleared areas with the cars. That's not a safey issue. How will the busses get through?

They should change status to close by tomorrow morning. Allow child care to operate if that's what folks complain about.

If they close tomorrow they might as well close the whole week... none of the remaining problems are going to be fixed within another day or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are buses ready?

Bus depot?

Bus drivers navigating on these conditions?

13k bus stops?

Sidewalks leading to those bus stops? (County was going to resume enforcement of unshoveled sidewalks Monday)

They've been working on bus depots since last week. The pictures looked pretty good at the Clarksburg depot, and those were taken 5 days ago.

Bus stops and sidewalks don't need to be fully clear. Kids can walk on snow. But the county did a lot of work on sidewalks over the weekend.

And how are the roads where buses pass through? Looked like blocks of freezing rain. How will bus drivers turn around those snow banks? Will guardS be mitigating the intersections to assist bus drivers?! And the students who walk to and from school? And to the bus stops? Not everyone lives on a cul de sac.

Most streets are fine. There may be some exceptional cases where buses have to modify their routes. People will manage.

Source?

The county itself and a week of driving around.

So you saw ALL the roads where two lanes turn into one? It's bad enough that buses go through streets that are basically one lane both directions when there is no snow. And you want them to go through areas now where the snow is piled so they can't get through safely?

I've seen roads that have a lane clear. Just like I've seen roads that normally only have one lane available after cars park on both sides. People can manage. That's not a safety issue. It's a convenience issue.

Some of those roads don't have sidewalks and kids will be walking in those one lane cleared areas with the cars. That's not a safey issue. How will the busses get through?

They should change status to close by tomorrow morning. Allow child care to operate if that's what folks complain about.

If they close tomorrow they might as well close the whole week... none of the remaining problems are going to be fixed within another day or two.

They should close. But allow teachers to post an assignment for the out of school days. Oops they can't do that can they?