Parts 1 and 2 videos are posted here and here
December 27, 2010: When I returned to Duffy Square in the afternoon, the Times Square Street Cleaners were still working to clear away the snow to get the square ready for New Year’s Eve. Guess money talks,. The $$ the city makes off New Year’s Eve. Maybe Bloomberg might buy some more snow plows.
Or not…
Watching from McD’s I had a good vantage-point but after awhile, I moved on . Wanted to check out the side streets. On 46th street I discovered some activity that at first, wasn’t clear. Fire truck…but no fire? Yep. It was all about the winds.
Walking through the canyons of Manhattan can be risky during a storm….you never know what might come crashing down from on high and we’d been struggling against the blizzard winds all day. Stronger than usual. The wind at my back was lifting me off the ground a few times. And apparently these same winds had managed to dislodge some solar panels from the roof of the Scientology Building. Can’t say i was surprised.
So, I hung around. Watched for a bit. The cold finally made me move on (again). Day 2 was still one day away from the real slush-mess. Too cold still…this kind of snow offered up some playful fun for the kids, but cars? Not fun. They remained buried by the original snow OR…the snow plows that managed to pass-by. Garbage was piling up. The sanitation trucks…if there’s a slow-down, are they the same drivers? And that BUS….that blocked our street. It was still buried so we remained un-plowed. What gives?
Got some back ground on how the bus got stuck. And why at such an odd angle. The driver went for coffee at the Dunkin Donuts. When he returned to his bus it had no traction. The snow was higher than when he went in. Wheels spinning, he was NOT going anywhere.
Heard the Department of Sanitation is trying to find the driver…or any driver to move the bus…Really? Its December 29th as I write this. That bus is STILL stuck Blocking the street and I’m not buying…
Union slowdown for the snow-plows. Busses and EMT’s without chains for a blizzard. Incompetence. Selfishness. Politics? A storm we all knew was coming. Heads should roll.
The January 10th inquiry won’t come fast enough. Is this anyway to run a city? Mayor Bloomberg: Shame on you…
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Businesses employed by the city are going to be expected to act a certain way, after all they received payment along with the initial signing of the contract and will be payed throughout despite their performance. If only there was a city wide survey to determine how much each particular city business should be paid
I watched a bit of the NYC Council’s hearing on the lack of performance by Sanitation, MTA etc. on Dec. 27th and for the snowfalls thereafter. There was a woman testifying who kept track of the street plows and reported on the activity she witnessed. It appears that the plows were on the same streets over and over, (in one area they plowed the same street 5 times in 13 minutes) ignoring the streets with bus service, but repeatedly plowing the streets a block or two away. People want to see heads roll and they are right to call for firings. But our mayor doesn’t want to fire anyone that was directly responsible. I can’t wait to see the Council’s final report.