Snow Storms Are Very Very Expensive

The city is saying that snow cleanup after this winter's big white storms may cost as much as $63 million. Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty says that though the city budgeted $38.3 million on plows, salt and other snow removal necessities, it's already dished out $42.7 million. And that's not even including the last two episodes, whose tab is expected to come to $20 million, reports the Post.

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By Sabrina Jaszi in News on March 6, 2010 3:25 PM

Comments [rss]

Helen Thomas knows the score

90 percent of the cost is overtime and 50 percent of the overtime is abuse.

dagblad

Two points:

1) In harlem, the plows basically just drive over the snow. I saw this twice. The first truck (plow partially lowered) just clipped the top of the snow as it drove. 2 other trucks followed with raised plows.

Another plow I saw pushed big boulders of snow *into the middle of the street* and drove off. Traffic was snarled because cars had to navigate through a small opening in the snow.

2) The BEEP BEEP is not an effective safety feature, because the human ear is bad at differentiating where it's coming from (it echos off of everything). There is a better solution which makes a hissing sound. Quieter and safer.

But they would never spend money on something useful like that. The unions are too good at sapping the koffers.

JacqueMehoff

this is the only mayor who puts a price tag on everything.

Larry Slade

Yeah well last week when I saw a tractor thing and two huge dump trucks picking up not that much snow to haul away on 2nd street in the East Village. The snow would have melted in a day or two anyway with the above 32 temps.

Besides I HATE the back-up beeps on these damn machines. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. One can hear them three blocks away and five flights up with the windows closed.

Let's get rid of the back-up BEEP.

MEDICNYC

The backup alarm is a safety measure because truck drivers don't have rear view mirrors. They are also on all ambulances and police vans and firetrucks. They are loud because we don't want to kill the asshole pedestrian with music blasting through his headphones who isn't paying any attention while crossing the street. People complain about sirens also. You live in NYC. If you don't want to hear trucks backing up and engines running and emergency vehicles passing by every five minutes I suggest you move somewhere else.

yoyuask

I think the city needs to show the breakdown of this $42 million.

To quote a line from Independence Day "You don't actually think they spend $20,000.00 on a hammer, $30,000.00 on a toilet seat do you? "

LesDiggityDoo

42 million dollars to clean up Snow. In one single City. What do the Russians, Canadians, Norwegians, Finnish and other Snowy countries pay to clean up their snow? I'm pretty sure it's not even half that. And if they're doing something illegal, shady or under the table in those countries to get rid of the snow, like using inmates or welfare recipients... then we should do it too..

That's my 2 cents for the week. Thank you & Go F yourself.