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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI'm betting not one of the Kentucky big wigs is stuck on that road
where no one has moved for 17 hours - the backup is only 35 miles. Great work ReTHUGs. Love the planning.
njlib
(891 posts)I have to work tonight and can't imagine being stuck like that. The woman CNN was talking to is stuck in the car with 3 kids!
My usual commute is 1 hour & 15 minutes, so I'm giving myself 4 hours. Even if I have to only go 15 mph the entire way, I should still be on time.
malaise
(268,968 posts)Where are you??
I'm a nurse in a nursing home, work the 11p-7a shift. My commute is a little over 50 miles one way, but now I see the blizzard warning is extended to the entire state. I'm in northwest NJ and we just had an advisory here, no blizzard warning until a short while ago. My supervisor tried to find coverage for me yesterday, but no luck...so I gotta go....
longship
(40,416 posts)In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)SamKnause
(13,101 posts)Vinca
(50,269 posts)You think the new Republican governor wants to foot the bill for something that just melts and goes away?
avebury
(10,952 posts)state forces, the cost of snow & ice removal can be a whole lot more expensive. The fewer contractors bidding on a contract, the higher the cost. And it can be a pure crap shoot because a state may not know if they will have a lot of snow events or a light winter. If you put a lot of the risk on the contractor to have the required equipment their pricing will go up. On top of that so many states are cutting their budgets. If you live in a high snow impact state, this is one area that you can really get hurt if the Governor and Legislature is on a budget slashing agenda.
bklyncowgirl
(7,960 posts)I town I worked for had decided to 'cut costs' by outsourcing the clearing of parking lots to a private contractor. Along came a blizzard. The town's public works guys all showed up for work (Public Works guys love blizzards and the overtime they bring) and did a great job clearing the streets but the parking lots, which fell under the private contract remained covered with snow for days.
This of course did not make the businesses who relied on those parking lots, the same business owners who had pushed for the town to hire this contractor, happy. They wanted the town to clear the lots but under the contract they couldn't.
Apparently many of the workers employed by the contractor decided not to show--hell why should they. Many were seasonal or hourly employees and the contractor had not required them to be at work ready to go before the storm started. The contractor of course was hired under the New Jersey State Contracting laws--low bid wins and unless you can prove that the bidder is not a "responsible" bidder the low baller gets the job.
Privatization sounds great until you have to rely on it.
avebury
(10,952 posts)the work as required by the contract, you need to file vendor complaints. Failure to document ligitimate problems with a contractor prevents you from being able to eliminate them from being awarded future contracts. I have no patience for people who complain about a vendor yet don't bother to file vendor complaints.
You can also include penalties in your contract and you need to exercise those penalties if the contractor failes to perform.
I can tell you that, contrary to what Republicans will tell you, privitizaiton of state functions does not save the tax payers any money.
B2G
(9,766 posts)they mean it.
This is why.
malaise
(268,968 posts)after you find out who are on the road
B2G
(9,766 posts)This was not a surprise storm.
These people had no buisness taking their kids out in it. Sorry, that's how I feel.