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A Quincy Quarry News Citizen Photojournalist image
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An old school way to travel on snowy trails
An old photo
Winter officially began at 4:21 AM this morning with Quincy frosted with fresh snow care of a Friday evening snow storm.
In fact, Quincy was hit with two waves of snow and as well forecast.
While the first snowfall mid-afternoon did make a mess of traffic as drivers have not have much experience driving on snow-covered roads in recent years, this first wave of snowfall mostly melt away soon after it fell.
Plow, ploughed — whatever …
A Quincy Quarry News file photo
The second round of snowfall after sunset, however, was a different matter as it did not melt, not to mention that this twofer posed problems for city snow removal workers who have enough trouble driving plows and chewing gum at the same time.
While Quincy Shore Drive and Furnace Brook Parkway were in decent shape as they are Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Resources roadways, City of Quincy-plowed streets were middling at best until well after the snowfall ended after the dinner hour what with snow plows and salting trucks rarely seen by Quincy Quarry News Snow Monitors.
Snow
byu/tunamelldt inQuincyMa
A Quincy Street pothole
A Quincy Quarry file photo
The condition of main arterial was much influenced by the quality of their paving surface as snowplows cannot plow close to the pavement if the condition of the road surface is poor.
Needless say, Sea Street was thus a snowy mess with other major roads reflecting the quality of their often so-so road surfaces, not to mention that side streets often unplowed for at least a while after the second snowfall ceased.
Report: MBTA preemptively experiences power meltdown and goes offline after hearing it was going to snow later pic.twitter.com/8mdcG7TpDE
— Boston Globe Pitchbot (@BostonSatire) December 20, 2024
Greenleaf Street, foreground, clear Mt Wollaston roadway, background.
Quincy Quarry News Citizen Snow Monitor image
Such poor plowing posed dire concerns as a hard and extended freeze hit after the storm and the cold is expected to run through Christmas Day with overnight lows forecast to be running as low as in single digits with daytime highs below to well freezing.
At the same time, Mount Wollaston Cemetery was ranked at the best plowed neighborhood in Quincy by Quincy Quarry News.
Then again, with arguably its roads in the best condition of any in Quincy along with its high voter turnout, such is only to be expected.
So, is there a dartboard or an official set of dice the city uses to determine which side-streets are plowed or brined or salted or all three, or none of the above, or some of the above, when there’s an accumulating snow?
There were a couple years when the plowing was pretty good — there was barely any snow.
Try walking the sidewalks around the library in Quincy Center — but maybe you should wear ice creepers or ice skates. And wear a helmet.
City Hall’s response is… crickets. Or maybe snow angels, since that’s probably their fallback plan. With plows missing in action and sidewalks resembling obstacle courses from a dystopian video game, residents are left wondering if the snow removal strategy is just ‘wait for spring.’ Meanwhile, Quincy’s finest minds are probably debating whether to declare a parking ban or just blame the storm on ‘unforeseen circumstances.’ Pro tip: If you’re planning to dig out your car, maybe leave a trail of breadcrumbs — you’ll need it to find your way back home in this frozen tundra.