Saturday, February 7, 2015

Classic Andy's Angles: They Never Learn

I'm glad someone is finally beginning to sit up and take notice.

Newswatch 16 did a few reports this week on snow removal in downtown Scranton, or the lack of it.

The photo you see above was from a blog in January of last year, and the archives show I've done a similar blog every year for the last several.

You see, curb-to-curb snow plowing in Scranton is a foreign concept.  Business owners are complaining customers can't reach their front doors.  The meters are snowed in.  Thanks to waiting to plow, the accumulated snow is now accumulated ice.  It's harder than concrete.

A clean up is scheduled for this weekend, and I'm guessing it will take twice as long and cost twice as much than doing it right the first time.

Scranton seems to be the only city of its size to lack alternate side of the street parking.  Tiny boroughs and townships here have it.  Get the cars off the streets, and give the plows room to work.

A lot of people now call downtown Scranton "home."  That's great.  Some big vacant old buildings now house some really snazzy apartments.  Cut a deal with the parking garages for a low rate during storms.

Better yet, have the Mall at Steamtown offer free night/overnight parking during storms.  It would be a wonderful gesture of good will, thanking the community for its support, in good times and bad.  Let church groups and boy scouts offer free coffee and snacks (for donations) like they do along highway rest areas on long holiday weekends.  Make it an event.

Oh, I'm sorry.  Scranton doesn't think "big."  It doesn't think "progressive."  It doesn't think "different."

The thing that is most disappointing is we go through this every year, and the same mistakes keep being repeated.  I smell a pattern.