Hey all, are any of you in or near Buffalo NY? I'm reading in my newspaper about the snow there. According to the Detroit Free Press, there are some places where the interstate highway is closed, and the city has suppposedly 'banned' driving unless you are a policeman, a firefighter, or medical worker. I have some experience with the same situation here in Michigan. Who shuts down the roads where you live ? Do they actually have the authority to do so ? In Michigan the Governor has to declare a state of emergency. Frequently the State police or local cops try to close roads, and most people listen. How about you ? DF

 

I know that in Southern California, you need to listen for highway closings on the radio. Frequently they have bulletins about what is required in order to drive in the snow areas. Vehicles without chains installed can be ticketted for not having proper equipment.

In fact - the most laughable thing I ever saw in San Diego was a clown in a T-Bucket roadster that had Mickey-T's on the back spinning wheel in a snowdrift in Cuyamaca National forrest one Christmas eve.... (Way up in the foothills)

I guess they went up there to see the snow. 'Reckon they found some!!!


*ROFL*

 

I'm not sure on who has the authority. But I know when I was driving truck I left Cheyenne WY and it was snowing and i guess shortly after Ileft the state troopers closed the gate on I-80 and after the truck could go no more I spent 3 days on the side of the freeway waiting for the plow to come thru so I could move again. Thank god for my military training and common sense whenever it is winter and I have to travel where snow can bring you to your knees I always packed my extreme cold sleeping bag and 2 good size boxes of military MRE meals so I have food.

 

I left Buffalo Last Thursday morning after visiting my wife's parents for Christmas. We got thru and heard that they started closing the roads about an hour after we left. I saw a lot of vehicles getting bogged down in the snow. When we left there was about 30 inches on the ground. I live in Indiana now but am originally from the west side of Michigan. I remenber some times when the state police would close the roads down. Does anyone remember the winter of 77'- 78'?? Some buddies and I traveled from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids Mich.in a 67' mustang!! It's about 60 miles and took us 7 hrs. We only got stuck 3 times!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 31-Dec-01 AT 10:18 AM (EST)] Art, I remember a late 70s winter when the schools were closed for at least a week and several businesses closed as well. There was another winter in the late 80s that had heavy snows as well. I thought it was kinda neat to be able to travel about when anyone without a 4x4 truck wasn't going anywhere. The Michigan State Police were rather comical. They set out sawhorses as road blocks on the entrance ramps to the freeway. Most 4x4s just went around them. ( Just reporting what I saw here, no personal admission of guilt. ;-) ) There were several aguements on the side of the road, the MSP was telling folks that they could not pull stuck vehicles out of the snow. Methinks they wanted to write the stuck victims tickets first, then call a pricey tow truck for them. Driven by one of the officers friends, no doubt. DF

 

If it hadn't been for you guys in 4x4's makin those two tracks in the snow we never would have made it out of our parking lot with that mustang. We followed a few trucks the best we could. Had the motor doin about 40 and the car was goin about 20 because of all the snow rubbin on the underside. I remember the state police with the saw horses at the entrance ramps to the highway. And we sure got some funny looks from guys in trucks wizzin by us. That was the only time I saw an over pass drifted shut on u.s. 131. There was a snowplow stuck under it trying to clear it out.

 

Yeah, i'm from Buffalo. All they say on the news is that the mayor/city calls for the driving ban. Each town/city can enforce its own ban. As I write this I think the town of Lackawanna, which is directly south of buffalo still has a ban in effect. Once in place, local cops will just give you a ticket if they catch you, but usually they'll just tell you to turn around and stop being an idiot (on the news I saw a cop tell a lady to go home because she was trying to get to her hairdresser). As far as the highway, the main interstate is the NYS Thruway, which is under control of the Thruway Authority. They can close that down any time they want to. Driving bans don't bother me. What really gets me is the alternative side of the street parking that is enforced in some of our more crowded rental areas. The idea is sound, you need to have everyone park on one side only so the big plow can do the street. But with a snow like this many cars are completely buried. Anybody who is older/weak can't get there car out in time, then you see cops digging into big piles of snow trying to find the windshield so they can stick a parking ticket under the wiper! So there's always alot of neighbors helping out neighbors around here. As for me I was away for the holidays and came back saturday. I had about 2 and a half feet on my 84 150 4X4, snow spilling out of the bed, finally uncovered it last night. Overall, the storm wasn't as bad as portrayed in the news. Almost all streets in the metro area are clean and dry-until the next time.

 

Did you know the City Of Toronto sent snow removal equipment to help you out?

Damn Canadians, You just can't get rid of us.

Dennis
Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving Up MY Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"







78 F-150 429CJ C6 ,Silver w/Explorer Pkge
641/2 Mustang,Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
64 Fairlane S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang.Sunlit Gold 80,000 miles

 

Hey mil1ion,
I'm gald Toronto sent the help! Get rid of Canadians?? I can't imagine a world with none of those lovely Canadian ladies dancing for me up in Niagra Falls . And what would I do without Molson or LaBatts?!?!? No way, I love Canada! But, help from Toronto or the federal gov't bothers me a little because we choose to live here so we should deal with what the wind gives us. I get a little miffed when those billion dollar homes built on mountainsides in California fall into the ocean and then the gov't sends in "emergency funds". But that's just me being nit-picky.
By the way, that's an awfully nice collection of wheels you have,
Later

 

>Did you know the City Of Toronto sent snow removal equipment
>to help you out?
>
>Damn Canadians, You just can't get rid of us.
>
>Dennis

It wouldn't be the first time, way back in the 70's
Buffalo got dumped on, 4 to 6 feet IIRC, and had to
borrow snow removal equipment from Toronto International
Airport to help clear the streets...

Steve & the Rockette