Ten days after the big snow storm, the Interim CCT looks like this:
Interim CCT
near Stewart Ave.
on Feb. 20
The snow is still deep, the walking tracks cut into the trail are very uneven, so that walking or running is very difficult. Conditions on all the trails in the area are much like this, see the CCCT website and WashCycle blog for reports of conditions on other trails.
We are finally enjoying a period of sunny days, with the snow pack starting to melt away. But we will likely be waiting for several more weeks before the trails are clear if we do nothing to help mother nature. Foot paths on the trails create ice pack, which will take much longer to melt than snow that has not been compacted. The trails are wooded in many places, and even though the trees do not have leaves their branches still block the effectiveness of the sun to a surprising degree. It took a full 30 days for the last of the ice pack to melt from the CCT after the snow storm of December 19-20. This Feb. 9-10 snow storm left much deeper snow.
Yet another problem – Snow plows have blocked access to trails.
Shown here:
the access to the Interim CCT at Stewart Ave.
Many sidewalks and trails are blocked at corners and curbs by these high mounds left by the plows. These mounds are not just snow – they are “plow wash” that is compacted, heavy, refrozen snow that requires a pick or chisel style shovel just to break it up. It is not reasonable to expect adjacent homeowners or brigades of volunteers with regular hand shovels to reclaim the sidewalks and trails from these mounds.
Snow plows have cleared many of the neighborhood streets from curb to curb in my part of Silver Spring. Bobcats and front end loaders were brought in to truck out snow on streets where there was no room to push the snow to the side. I am impressed, and grateful, for the amount of work that has been done to dig us out of the worst snow storm ever recorded. But we are far from done.
Richard Layman blogged recently about a Maintenance of way agenda for walking. The principles he outlines for maintenance of way in D.C. apply here too. Clearing snow to enable transportation and mobility means more than just clearing road lanes and restoring curb side parking for our automobiles. Sidewalks and trails are essential to our safe transportation and mobility too. We should demand our county and state governments take more responsibility for keeping the sidewalks and trails clear – instead of pushing snow onto them from the roads.
update: Washcycle posted on the ice storm virtually simultaneous to this posting. He goes further – calling for action. Check it out.