Monday, February 13, 2006

Unsafe Conditions in Metro Parking Lots due to Snowstorm

I’d like to add to our list of issues the abysmal state of the parking lot at Rockville Metro Station following the latest snowstorm.

This morning, February 13th, it was impossible to get to the sidewalks because the snow banks between the walks and the parking lot were waist high. The lots themselves were covered by flows of black ice. I’m surprised that more than a few patrons didn’t fall or throw out their backs keeping from falling.


This afternoon the state of the lots was no better. Even the walks where not plowed to the pavement, nor salted, nor sanded. Forgetting about the snow banks from the morning, I enjoyed getting back to the lots through the still knee-high snow and slush.

Whose responsibility is it to clear and salt the walks, sand the pavements, and generally create a safe environment for getting to our cars in "Metro maintained" parking facilities? There sure seems to be a lot of equipment for snow clearing stored at the Metro Station. Is there just a shortage of staff that know how to operate it? What about contracting out the task, rather than paying for equipment that remains unused most of the day, or entirely as evidenced by the lack of attention mentioned above.

Is the cost of maintenance that much greater than the $4.00 per car times 524 cars, or $2096 plus meter fees collected every-single-day?




Added Comment:

Today, February 14th, the snow and ice situation was no different, however I found that if I used the MARC station entrance and walkway the condition was near perfect. MTA or who ever is responsible for MARC's walkways did a much better job of clearing snow, and they also put down Rock Salt instead of the "styrafoam-like" snow melt. The Rock Salt did a much better job of keeping the walkways clear of ice.

1 Comments:

At 11:02 AM, Blogger I. Michael Snyder said...

Today, February 14th, the snow and ice situation was no different, however I found that if I used the MARC station entrance and walkway the condition was near perfect. MTA or who ever is responsible for MARC's walkways did a much better job of clearing snow, and they also put down Rock Salt instead of the "styrafoam-like" snow melt. The Rock Salt did a much better job of keeping the walkways clear of ice.

 

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