Anonymous wrote:I took my dog for a walk today for the first time since Saturday night. I live close to VHC, and I'm shocked by the number of people who haven't shoveled their sidewalks yet. We've been here for almost 10 years and I have never seen it this bad. There are always a couple of houses, but I counted at least five. There's no excuse unless you are physically unable to do it.

It's not always laziness. This was incredibly hard stuff to move. We had to break out our gardening tools, and many homeowners might not have those. We have a sturdy plastic snow shovel which works well for SNOW but was useless for this massive ice mounds. We had to hatchet away with a metal shovel, and then scoop with the snow shovel. It took HOURS longer than usual. And we are able bodied! Anyone with any sort of physical limitation or even just the wrong tools can't do it.

The county could help, once the plowing slows down, but since sidewalks are almost never their job, I am not holding my breath. I suspect kids will be home all week while they try to get things passable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is where it becomes a little tricky for those of us whose bus stops are a mile away. I’m at peace with whatever APS decides to do, but realistically, it wouldn’t be safe for my kids to walk to their stops and I’d be driving them in.

My kid is a walker whose MS is a mile away. No way she's walking given the conditions of the sidewalks on our block alone. But our road hasn't been plowed and I hear our neighborhood is rough until we get to the main street. That's why I think they're not going tomorrow.

Any sidewalk that isn't clear by now likely isn't going to be cleared. And it's supposed to stay cold so they can't keep schools closed until it melts.

Right -- but I can drive her once our streets are plowed, and right now they're not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is where it becomes a little tricky for those of us whose bus stops are a mile away. I’m at peace with whatever APS decides to do, but realistically, it wouldn’t be safe for my kids to walk to their stops and I’d be driving them in.

My kid is a walker whose MS is a mile away. No way she's walking given the conditions of the sidewalks on our block alone. But our road hasn't been plowed and I hear our neighborhood is rough until we get to the main street. That's why I think they're not going tomorrow.

Any sidewalk that isn't clear by now likely isn't going to be cleared. And it's supposed to stay cold so they can't keep schools closed until it melts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took my dog for a walk today for the first time since Saturday night. I live close to VHC, and I'm shocked by the number of people who haven't shoveled their sidewalks yet. We've been here for almost 10 years and I have never seen it this bad. There are always a couple of houses, but I counted at least five. There's no excuse unless you are physically unable to do it.

For those without gardening shovels, it’s impossible at this point. Arlington also suspended enforcement of the snow removal ordinance, so that may be a factor.

Right - but these were sidewalks that clearly had not been touched at all. It's just frustrating.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saw an Arlington Snow Removal Update on Facebook saying 75 percent of residential roads are passable but 95 percent of school routes are. So, would that factor into a school decision tomorrow? Do they factor in sidewalks?

There won't be school tomorrow. Passable means there is a single plowed lane that may or may not go to pavement. There's a higher standard to send buses down the street and they won't open without buses.

Passable means an EMS vehicle could get through. That’s the first priority and means that a single lane has been plowed through.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took my dog for a walk today for the first time since Saturday night. I live close to VHC, and I'm shocked by the number of people who haven't shoveled their sidewalks yet. We've been here for almost 10 years and I have never seen it this bad. There are always a couple of houses, but I counted at least five. There's no excuse unless you are physically unable to do it.

For those without gardening shovels, it’s impossible at this point. Arlington also suspended enforcement of the snow removal ordinance, so that may be a factor.

Yeah you have to use a pick or a gardening shovel and literally hack at hit. It's slow going.

Anonymous wrote:Saw an Arlington Snow Removal Update on Facebook saying 75 percent of residential roads are passable but 95 percent of school routes are. So, would that factor into a school decision tomorrow? Do they factor in sidewalks?

There won't be school tomorrow. Passable means there is a single plowed lane that may or may not go to pavement. There's a higher standard to send buses down the street and they won't open without buses.

Anonymous wrote:This is where it becomes a little tricky for those of us whose bus stops are a mile away. I’m at peace with whatever APS decides to do, but realistically, it wouldn’t be safe for my kids to walk to their stops and I’d be driving them in.

My kid is a walker whose MS is a mile away. No way she's walking given the conditions of the sidewalks on our block alone. But our road hasn't been plowed and I hear our neighborhood is rough until we get to the main street. That's why I think they're not going tomorrow.

This is where it becomes a little tricky for those of us whose bus stops are a mile away. I’m at peace with whatever APS decides to do, but realistically, it wouldn’t be safe for my kids to walk to their stops and I’d be driving them in.

Saw an Arlington Snow Removal Update on Facebook saying 75 percent of residential roads are passable but 95 percent of school routes are. So, would that factor into a school decision tomorrow? Do they factor in sidewalks?

Anonymous wrote:I took my dog for a walk today for the first time since Saturday night. I live close to VHC, and I'm shocked by the number of people who haven't shoveled their sidewalks yet. We've been here for almost 10 years and I have never seen it this bad. There are always a couple of houses, but I counted at least five. There's no excuse unless you are physically unable to do it.

For those without gardening shovels, it’s impossible at this point. Arlington also suspended enforcement of the snow removal ordinance, so that may be a factor.

I took my dog for a walk today for the first time since Saturday night. I live close to VHC, and I'm shocked by the number of people who haven't shoveled their sidewalks yet. We've been here for almost 10 years and I have never seen it this bad. There are always a couple of houses, but I counted at least five. There's no excuse unless you are physically unable to do it.

our car slid all over the place on our street but once we made it out to Langston, we were ok. there is black ice on the sidewalks

I went out to go to a medical appointment. The highways are good. The main roads are just ok. One lane is clear but the other is just 3/4 clear so there isn't enough room for a car to drive. Turn lanes are not clear at all. Neighborhood streets are not good. Ours is plowed and my SUV was fine. But it's plowed very narrowly and lots of ice, snow, slush still in the street. Would not be good for a bus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...but I do like Arlington's real-time plowing map. https://arlgis.arlingtonva.us/Apps/Snow/SnowActivityMap/#16/38.8784/-77.1426

It doesn’t match what I see out my window though. It says my street was plowed and treated but it’s still completely covered.

Mine is supposedly not plowed but is totally clear now.