Snowmaggeddon Looms upon Us, Yet Again.

[orthodoc]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I saw that in Charlotte, NC, too. Less than 1.5 inches and all the resources in the county were busy trying to keep I-95 moving, so the rest of the roads weren't plowed and sanded which caused everyone to stay home. I was scratching my head as to why they would plow 1.5 inches.

It's all about the infrastructure. Places that get tons of snow regularly are prepared for it. When I lived in mid-northern Ontario, we had 12" snowfalls overnight constantly. It didn't matter, because the region had snowplows and salt ready 24/7, working 24/7. Everyone put snow tires on in the fall and everyone had chains they could ADD to the snow tires. Nothing ever closed.

But consider a location that has mild winters and gets snow maybe once in twenty years. There's no economic justification to keep snowplows and salt and sand on call 24/7/365. An inch or two of snow will bring these places to a standstill, but it's not their fault. People in these places don't buy snow tires at $900/season; why would they? So everything closes with minimal snowfall.

Live and let live. I'm happy when, if I'm living in a place that doesn't get much snow and it snows, people are cautious and places close easily. That's safe. I get scared when people who have no idea how to drive in snow attempt to race to work at 80 mph with summer tires.