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Spotty at best

Posted on February 4, 2010February 4, 2010 by Staff

This has certainly been a hard week of work for those charged with keeping roads clear and travel safer during the recent spell of bad weather. Given the predictions of another jolt of winter for this coming weekend, it doesn’t look like there will be much rest.

Along with the other key public-safety functions, keeping roads clear and passable, especially major thoroughfares, is a prime mission for local government and the local operations of the state Department of Transportation.

It is something of a habit for those from areas much more accustomed to this kind of weather, and much better provisioned to handle it, to kvetch about the devastation even a small snowfall wreaks on schedules. And it is something of a habit among those who grew up in the “let it melt” era, when the towns pretty much shut down until the sun did the work, to not expect much.

This is changing, and for good reason — our community is not nearly as compact a place as it once was. Neighborhoods are more spread out and places of employment are scattered about as well. Employees and students at UNC are coming in from all directions, and access in and out of the park-and-ride lots is all the more critical.

Each storm is a learning experience. We now see much better pre-storm work on the roads and, for the most part, the recent storm showed that a better-coordinated effort between local and DOT crews can quickly free up the main roads.

But as many residents know, once we get to the secondary roads the record of recovery from a major winter event is spotty at best. On some roads, shady spots, areas with poor drainage and steep hills remain slick and hazardous long after the storm has passed. This is a long-standing problem that ought to be addressed.

The condition of the secondary roads is one of the key factors used to determine when schools reopen. Local commerce is also greatly affected when employees can’t get to work and customers can’t get to the stores and eateries. There is also a safety issue: If you can’t get out of your neighborhood, chances are that fire and EMS crews will have a hard time getting to you if you need them.

Some towns are much worse in this department than others. As many commuters learned this week when they got to Raleigh, having the interstates and highways clear doesn’t help if the roads are a mess not far off your exit.

Part of the task of dealing with the storms takes place long beforehand. Towns have to have the equipment, supplies and contingency funds to adequately deal with storms and disasters.

But when the time comes, there has to be a willingness to see the job through. Scrimping on snow removal, clearing sidewalks and dropping extra sand on slick spots is penny-wise and pound-foolish. Closed stores and businesses running on limited schedules means less revenue for the private and the public sectors.

We applaud all those who have been working steadily to free us from winter’s icy grip. And we encourage leaders in all towns of the Triangle to review plans and policies to see to it that the crews are well-equipped and well-staffed and fully supported in taking the fight well beyond the main roads.

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