How was your drive in to work? Once you got there, were you able to park? I am especially interested in those who are travelling to or from our Lehigh Valley cities. I made a few calls and decided to stay away from the courthouse in Easton today. There's no place to park, so having free meters is really kind of useless.
Updated 5:15 pm: Nazareth Digs Out Around My Estate.
After learning that I decided to remain in Nazareth today, borough officials devoted all their resources to dig out my estate, which is located atop the Army Navy Store. They didn't just dig it out, but removed all the snow as well, thanks to an industrial size snow blower and dump truck combination.
I was going to commend them, but slipped on a piece of ice that one of my servants missed. Of course, I had him shot.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Monday, January 25, 2016
45 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
With a storm of this magnitude, it simply is not enough to push the snow to the side of the street. It needs to be removed. Safety is being jeopardized. Traveling on side roads is not advised in Bethlehem. Horrible conditions.
ReplyDeleteI just saw on mcall.com that Bethlehem announced snow removal from several main roads in downtown areas. What about the neighborhoods? West Bethlehem in the area between Broad and Spring, from 1st ave to 15th ave is a mess.
With this much snow, you can't even push the snow to the edge of a parking lot and being able to use the lot.
Traveled through Catty into Allentown this morning. Race St. was ok up to Dauphin for the most part. Allentown Front St. and American Parkway were not good at all, but the snow removal trucks have been working down Hamilton in front of the courthouse all morning. Traveled to South Side for lunch and South Fourth is not real great either. Most parking lots are really bad and there are lots of people walking in the street because walkways haven't been cleared.
ReplyDeleteBethlehem is unpassable because of the frost on AB's ass after his day in court. LOL!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBethlehem is a real mess and Facebook posts are not the answer Mr. Mayor. This effort is so pitiful it makes people winder if you put Karner in charge of the effort.
ReplyDeleteI arrived at the Northampton county courthouse around 9:30, the hill coming up from McDonald's was closed, so I had to go around. The streets weren't good, but they could have been worse . . . the parking was nonexistent, but I backed my poor little car into a snowbank in the only unoccupied space in the lot (only unoccupied because of the snowbank). Hopefully I will be able to get it out this afternoon! So Bernie, you probably made a good decision not to come in.
ReplyDeleteAllentown press conference on the snow starting - Pawlowski snappily dressed in what looks to be an FBI windshirt (might be the angle of the picture but who knows). See Emily Opilo's live twitter feed @emilyopilo
ReplyDeleteThe Banker
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCame to work in downtown bethlehem today and despite having a monthly pass that i pay dearly for to park in the garages, both Walnut and North St garages were full and there seemed to be no cooridination or plan to do something about it. I parked at a friends house and walked in from there but I know 4 people in the office who had no choice but to go home. Sad effort on the part of the city. Thanks Donchez!
ReplyDeleteAllentown is a total mess.
ReplyDeleteFUBAR
4WD or AWD vehicles Only !!!!! Even then it is dicey at best.
ReplyDeleteI had to take Mrs to airport at 11 AM. Route 222 Bypass clear as hell. 78 to 309 to 22 was in great shape. Everything fine on 22, and airport road was clear. But roads into airport? one very narrow lane. They had a front end loader attacking drop off, so all traffic into arrival areas. Only one lane open thru there. What the hell were they doing the last 24 hours? Could surely get more than that cleared.
ReplyDeleteEaston Area School District closed again tomorrow (Tuesday) if that tells you anything about their streets and sidewalks.
ReplyDeleteAgent 99, You are a hard charger and a secret agent to boot.
ReplyDeleteI'm just mad that the snow removal on main street in Bethlehem is on from Church st to union blvd. That's almost all business, while the residential section of main street gets overlooked. I understand this was an epic storm, but even when we had a lot of snow on the ground and snow removal was necessary, Mayor Callahan had them do a large portion of the residential street, so as to not inconvenience all the people that live there. As it stands now, no one will be able to park on Main.
ReplyDeleteAgree with 5:11. 100%
ReplyDeleteWent from Bethlehem to Hanover (NC). Bethlehem was bad I had to travel on the wrong side of Union Blvd in parts. Side streets in the city were a mess. I swear some of the cars that were plowed in were just abandoned at some point Saturday. Hanover was good. Was glad I had 4x4 as it was needed.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that they dug you out rather then pilling more up! Kidding of course.
Not sure what I'm going to do for work since I need to be in the field and most of my work takes me to side streets.
Hank_Hill
It really is insane to complain so soon after an all-time storm. There is no silver bullet to make the snow disappear. It doesn't make a difference who the Mayor is. It takes machines, operators, and TIME. Take a deep breath and relax. Things are not going to be normal for a couple days. Don't be so ignorant.
ReplyDeleteactually who is mayor does matter. One mayor can be more proactive than another that is more cautious. If you think a mayor has no influence in the process than you're naive.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of this post is not to complain about this or that Mayor. It's to allow people to describe their commuting experience so the rest of us know where problem areas are. No need to be so sensitive.
ReplyDeleteHanover Township roads great today and I had trash collection. Crews clearing intersection on Jacksonville and Crawford on my way home at 3 p.m.
ReplyDeleteHanover Township roads great today and I had trash collection. Crews clearing intersection on Jacksonville and Crawford on my way home at 3 p.m.
ReplyDeletePresently my front sidewalks and steps are clear of snow ... Didn't need to shovel a parting space out front to save with illegal furniture ...My rear sidewalks and steps are clear ... Won't shovel my side yard sidewalks at all... Shovel out my parking area in the rear ... Had plenty of time without distraction to do this because early Saturday morning my cable, internet and phone went out ... Did not return to Sunday afternoon ... Did not lose electricity so I shredded things I gotten in the mail ... And finished reading a book called Giants in a land written by a Norwegian-American Author named O.E. Rolvaag... Through today I had no ability to leave my rear parking space because the alley behind my house was not open ... Would have had to shovel out a space in the alley 30 yards by 10 yards to reach a spot where I could freely drive my car out of one alley into another alley to a relatively minor street in the scheme of things to a more major street to a very major street. I started to shovel out this area in the alley when a small city of Allentown cinder truck with a plow arrived to clear out the entire length of the alley... At least this weekend I wasn't awakened by the sound of a Helicopter landing at the park next to my home not once but twice in the early morning hours .. Later in the middle of late morning it landed again .... For those in my block who dug out front, without illegal chairs to protect them it could be rotating cars when the music stopped ... I experience that in the blizzard of 1996 and other times after working 4 straight shifts during winter time storms ... One time during the coldest day of the year the Governor ordered to steel to shut down on certain equipment in a required electrical cutback ... The end result without heat trips protecting certain processes the metal values became frozen and cracked causing me to work them carefully when I had too.
ReplyDeleteAnnon 5:11 is an angry elf!
ReplyDeleteI saw kathy Allen shoveling the courthouse sidewalks,now that is efficacy. Imagine what 10 could do.
ReplyDeleteBernie,
ReplyDeleteOn opinions this comming weekend you could probably elaborate more than me on the comming of the nue nue nue ReNue sport to be taking place to RePlace the hokey puk¿!($ Puks made with face of the boils of the epicenter same old Z with a couple nue twistZ and the third world nation ccreation of Allentown pa with public participation Let The Game Begin a Lets Get Ready to Rumble¿!($
THE CAINNING OF THE BOILS!!!
Your elaboration and callaboration with the shit sling god of the valley and savior of the outhouse shitfly that grow from larva in the innercity is one of th many facts ommitted from being put to print via edited out news propoganda propogated, the old saying of chalk and paint to make the taint what it ain't is used by LVRA prez's past and present with the last four letters the same with the help of local law dogs slight of the pen and there prop home inspector clause, yea it looks good from my hous but I am not lieable in this flopp with a timlit clase added too¿!($
No sig NUTure needed the hastag tells the tale¿!($ 10/4 out
@ 5:11- It is amazing how many communites have been not only been plowing, but they are removing the snow or at least attempting to make things better as early as Sunday morning.
ReplyDeleteWhen certain cites refuse to even try and do something , like plow, that is an issue and the people have every right to bitch and moan. People have to go to work. They dont get the week off like our political elite in DC , Harrisburg of even in some of our surrounding city govts.
In fact PenDOT was plowing and removing snow on 145 all day long. People were beeping and thanking thse men as they drove by.We all know the job is not easy. But..when cites do nothing, that is an issue.Some people have to work.
So glad that Allentown now has GPS sytems in their vehicles. That really helped.
Great early commute to the court house today.
ReplyDeleteLater in the morning we had to make a run to Fogelsville with no probs on 22 or Tilghman street. Some high piles at busy intersections.
After Fogelsville, we had to make a run to North Whitehall on 309 and had no problems.
We then made a quick run into Whitehall , Catty and North Catty. Catty and North Catty happened to be the worst. The streets looked as if the plow made one run down the middle of the street, one time on, Friday night. Hanover Township looked fantastic around 3-4 pm. Nice job guys !
From there we made it back to the court house in Easton. We avoided the cites of Allentown and Bethlehem the best we could and it worked!
Now the issue is seeing some of these municipalities plow the snow as high as 8 feet high at an intersection. Nobody , can see over these piles. Accidents will happen soon bc of this.
My commute takes me from north Bethlehem to west end Allentown via, once you get out of my neighborhood, Broad Street, Hanover Avenue, and MLK out to the vicinity of Cedar Crest Blvd.
ReplyDeleteSide streets in Bethlehem were pretty bad. Like the plow drivers kept the blade 2 inches above the surface. Goepp Street had piles so high that cars going the opposite way couldn't pass each other, because it was too narrow, and there was nowhere to pull aside to. People were backing up to the previous cross street to get out of the way.
Broad Street was mostly OK except for a rough patch on the Bethlehem-Allentown border that seemed to get the "plow blade 2 inches above the surface" treatment.
Hanover Avenue: Where it was normally 2 lanes in a given direction, it was down to 1 to 1.25 due to the snow. Coming back on the last mile approaching Bethlehem, the active lane was basically the median. In the morning, since almost none of the sidewalks had been cleared, pedestrians were walking in the roadway. In the afternoon, the bridge over the Lehigh was at a standstill because people were still trying to drive in 2 lanes each way, which with the snow piles put cars within a couple of feet or less of each other from side to side.
MLK: Surface was clear and bone dry. NONE of the adjacent sidewalks, mostly on city-owned property, had been cleared either in the morning or afternoon, so people were walking in the roadway.
My job, like those of most people in my office, really doesn't need me to be there right after a storm like this. I could easily have worked from home and was prepared to do so. But my employer said nothing and expected everyone to show up in the office. There's the problem. All of the people with kids just didn't show up anyway because the kids were off, but a single guy like me has no excuses.
The collective dependence upon internal combustion engines for transportation is a sickening indictment on our lack of commitment to the Paris climate talks, Gaia brings us a massive storm for the purpose of slowing our movements do not fight this. Crafting a set of snow shoes is a skill passed down through 7 generations of my Shoshone kin, while suburban America slogged through piles of slush and toxic road salt me and my family were gliding about our property in a state of tranquil equanimity with mother earth.
ReplyDeleteBlue Badger
It's obvious, main roads are clear, side roads suck. Yeah it's a lot of snow but the frustrating thing is it seems Allentown didn't even try. I've had plows running all night long with barely four inch snow falls in the past. I guess I'm lucky that a plow ran through once, I feel bad for others that have had to shovel their street clean.
ReplyDeleteBeen through the Valley East to West.
ReplyDeleteAllentown seems to be in the worst shape by a wide margin.
Avoid it if you can.
I came from the north side of Bethlehem and went to the southside to pick up a co-worker. Traffic was terrible going south on the New St bridge and really backed up going west on 3rd st. There is one lane clear on all the side streets. It's terrible, but expected. What can the city do w/narrow streets and no off-street parking? People have to put their cars somewhere and the city has to work around them.
ReplyDeleteRather than complain about the mayor or criticize the plowers, I have this statement: Maybe some May or June, send whoever is supposed to be in charge of snow removal to a snow belt city (Buffalo?, Minneapolis?) and arrange for them to meet with these experienced counterparts. The goal would be to learn some strategies and tips on how to tackle snow removal (over 15").
ReplyDeleteAnyone knows what to do with the light dustings; you soon find out who is worth their salt when a snow emergency is at hand.
I just really believe that the persons plowing the streets may not be given much in the way of a game plan. They do their best but I think what most of us notice is there seems to be a lack of organization.
Just a thought.
VOR
I have to say that the roads in Bugtussle (aka Mt Bethel/Portland) were quite clear and easily maneuverable Monday morning. Even the secondary and back roads were plowed very well.
ReplyDeleteI work in NJ and Route 46 was fine as was Hackettstown, Long Valley, Chester & Mendham. Some narrowing of the lanes, but all in all very good considering the large volume of snow.
UT~
B.O., this is completely off the commuting topic. I just want to say how relieved I was today when I saw the Morning Call published a Bill White-animal piece. His journalistic work is mesmerizing. I really don't know how he is able to sleep at night. Great job Bill White (slow round of applause).
ReplyDeleteMonday things a bit slow, but passable, in the Butztown Road/Linden Street area of NE Bethlehem. Even the side streets like East Blvd. are pretty good...maybe because the roads are wider up here. Easton Avenue out to 33 was fine. Today is even better, of course. One of these days it is all going to melt. But, I hear there could be more snow on Friday?
ReplyDeleteTalk about cities experienced in snow removal, Albany NY does a great job, or did while I was living there. With the thousands of State workers in downtown, there are many empty lots during a big storm, so residents are directed to park in them, and then the streets surrounding the state office buildings get cleaned. No real problems in the residential areas more distant to the west of downtown, most of the time. Remember that places where big snows happen more often tend to have more equipment on hand to deal with the snow.
The lack of a coordinated response in Allentown was baffling. The worst job this Mayor has ever produced.
ReplyDeleteIt really appeared lacking in focus.
Could he be distracted?
Our plowing bosses from ATOWN are in fact going to attend a plowing symposium in Key West. July 2 - 9 Hosted by the Southern Florida Plowing Society.
ReplyDeleteThe best people in the Parks and Water Shed Department are gone. The Mayor was in DC and Francis D. doesn't know or care from Philadelphia.
ReplyDeletePlease God and the FBI rescue us from this nightmare.
I live on green street in allentown and still haven't seen a plow since last year. Maybe I'll still have a job to pay my city tax bill for no services rendered.
ReplyDeleteI'm convinced. The very next time I get my hands on a voting machine.....
ReplyDelete7:08 This Green street you speak of, how long has it been there?
ReplyDeleteTuesday afternoon, Allentown, E. Dauphin and the connector road to the new American Parkway, literally ONE lane, plowed to the concrete, UNTIL you got up to the top of the hill after coming around the blind curve. Then, ruts and several inches of snow down the other side. Exit ramp to American Parkway not plowed at all, at least 12 inches, not even tire tracks through it. Same thing for the entrance ramp off the Parkway. Fortunately, cars weren't attempting to climb the hill from the Parkway side because with ONLY ONE lane, it would have made things quite interesting to say the least. Perhaps a discrepancy between state and local plow crews?
ReplyDeleteAlso still wondering why Hanover Avenue, a Snow Emergency Route, wasn't plowed to the curb heading west into the city because there is no parking on that side of the street. The eastbound side, I guess I could understand, you could use the excuse of cars parked along the curb, but c'mon.
Several thousand heroine addicts are looking for a fix in Center City Allentown tonight and traffic is at a virtual standstill.
ReplyDeleteIt's an ugly proposition
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteWill fed ed ie humptydumty and his counsil court jesters be holding a public meeting as to the propogated plans as to perposals spent from the muddy mess made spewing from the bowells of hell allentowns failing failiar and probably the best show canceled¿!($ The motor cycle nitro circus most deffinatly would have been better than a local advertismental show¿!($ Fed ed thinks the feds will be held off by the snow like his counter part slumlordian blight incubation one in the same seperated though¿!($