Last night, after some internal discussion with borough council and staff, I made the decision that due to some mitigating factors, I have commuted and dismissed all parking tickets issued related to the snow alert that occurred this past week.
This action totaled 267 tickets across our community and equates to around $13,300 in fines. Those who have already paid will be receiving a check from the borough to refund your fine.
This decision hinged on a few key factors.
Plowing and Snow Management
During the snow event that took place Monday, Jan. 15 into Tuesday, Jan. 16, it came to my attention after the event passed that plows were never deployed by our public works team. That decision was made based on internal weather predictions that did not anticipate freezing rain and plunging temperatures that would prolong the snow and ice on the roadways.
The original approach to road management, a decision made by our public works team, was to lay salt down prior to the event and after it in the belief that temperatures would rise and the salt would do a sufficient job of eliminating the winter conditions. This approach to snow management is based on two realities that, while true, are not ultimately helpful at this moment.
The first is that plowing the roads has a degree of degradation to it. Obviously, scrapping a steel plow over pavement is going to decrease the life of the road. If we can avoid damaging our own roads by not plowing, then we can avoid this type of impact. However, I believe that once we realized the snow event was shifting and included wetter snow that was to be followed up by freezing rain, we then needed to prioritize removing all snow from the roadways as soon as possible to avoid prolonged icing and hazardous conditions.
The second is the cost of plowing: it is expensive to run prolonged/overnight plowing. Again, while true and appreciated that we are being judicious and frugal with funding, plowing is not the place to look for quick savings. We need to adapt as weather changes, and if that means spending more money to ensure the safety of our roadways, then that is an expense we need to incur.
As proper plowing did not occur during the snow alert, I find it a compelling reason to dismiss tickets related to the event.
It Has Been Two Years
The second key decision point is simply that our region has not received significant amounts of snow in over two years. Many residents were unaware of the snow alert parking rules (or simply forgot) and when everyone is dealing with a tightening of budgets, it is always better to offer a helping hand than to slap a wrist. In every aspect of this job, I try to approach it from a position of empathy, considering the above plowing issues combined with the historical lack of snow, dismissing tickets was a logical step for everyone.
As we look forward to this coming weekend, please be aware that we are slated to receive more snowfall tomorrow. Temperatures are slated to rise throughout the day today making salt an effective tool to remove some/most of the ice in our borough to help get us back on level ground before snow hits on Friday.
If a snow alert is issued, as I anticipate it might be, please move your vehicles off the roadways as best you can and park them in proper snow alert parking spaces. While the primary reason for this is for plows to easily pass through our streets, it is not the only reason. It is a safety precaution for every person traveling on the roadway during hazardous conditions in case they cannot stop or are sliding and need to direct their vehicle to an empty side of the roadway. Regardless of plowing, we will be asking people to move their vehicles for future snow alerts, and we will be ticketing again.
To those who are frustrated with the roadways as they sit today: I, too, am frustrated. I, too, am unhappy with the results of the last storm and as a resident I also drive on those roads with you. We will be doing better in the future and servicing the community in a way that is consistent with the service Lansdale is known for and contributes to why so many call our community home. Stay safe in the coming days and please help your neighbors as they manage the winter weather.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert. The views expressed are his own and are not representative of North Penn Now or Lansdale Borough.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Special Election on Jan. 16
Mayoral Musings: 152 Years in the Making
Mayoral Musings: The End of an Era in Lansdale
