The ACHD had their hands full this winter and they never did make it to my street, so I’m not their biggest fan right now. Having stated that, I would have zero confidence in Boise City doing a better job on the south bench than the ACHD. I feel like the bench hasn’t benefited as much as the rest of the city during the Bieter years (decades?). One example would be the upcoming(?) Cole Road expansion. The ACHD originally planned a wider version that would have had an area for grass and trees but the city said that they didn’t have the resources to maintain it so the ACHD scaled it back a few feet. I’m all for smart/limited government spending but I feel that if this expansion were elsewhere in the city it would get the “Boise Bieter Best” version (Curtis and Vista come to mind). Bieter and the city council don’t seem to care about the south bench area. That is evident with their handling of the F35 program, disregarding the people who live here. I doubt the south bench would ever see a sanding truck operated by Boise City. They would be too busy cleaning up Downtown and the North End.

Look erico49, DK and Mike: You are so off topic it is harmful to the whole blog. ACHD’s strategic plans for snow removal are inadequate. If the money paid to ACHD went elsewhere the results might be different. This is about safety, strategy and common sense. Keep digging, unless you’re injured from digging, too old, or too busy with several jobs.

The mayor needs to remember he is a mayor not a king. He already taxes us as if he is a king and we are the peasants. He disregards our NO vote on the trolley!

We, the voters, will decide who is in charge of the roads.

If we, the voters, feel that the ACHD Commissioners do not do their job we can replace them.

Placing the inmates in charge of the jail is not the answer.

We’re entering new territory as of yesterday when one of the ACHD contact plow operators was assaulted and punched by a citizen. An arrest was made but I’m wondering if the official rhetoric we are hearing and seeing is contributing rather than helping the problem? Pretty easy answer in my mind. And yes, I am digging myself out as often as anyone else.

Typical Idaho. I don’t want to pay any taxes. I just want government to leave me alone and stay out of my life. Oh wait, why isn’t the government plowing my street. If anyone thinks Bieter would use money to maintain the roads you have a short memory. This is the same guy who tries to bond for basic services that the city should already be providing. And you want to give him more money? Foolish.

For some impressive whining, excuse-making and fault-dodging, see ACHD commissioner Paul Woods’ piece in the Statesman.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article126528119.html

Eastener, do you really think Boise City plows would NOT plow the snow onto the sidewalk? Really? Where would they plow it to? Frankly, streets like Fairview, 27th, anything with a center turn lane should have it plowed into the center turn lane.

Funny how both agencies talk a big line about bikes and pedestrians. Hah, look who’s the real boss. CARS. I’ve been saying it all along.

Oh, and guess which neighborhood is the dumping ground for all that ugly brown snow from downtown streets. Guess.

boisecynic, you just answered your question right? ” ‘should’ have it plowed into the center turn lane”?
Still not a great solution, though. Left turns would really suck.

How bout this idea, pay attention to where the snow is going.

ACHD came around to clear the schools at 1a.m. to clear access to Boise Schools- neglecting the fact kids (and us parents) can’t even use the sidewalks to get to the school.
Not sure if they did that for other schools in Ada. But there was a loader and 3 dump trucks, with traffic control, collecting some overtime when I drove past one school at 1am the other morning.

oh well, better luck next snow storm.

Thanks to Goldthorpe for his postings here. I can’t think of another site where local issues can be discussed without the dreaded Facebook sign-up (other than Betsy Russel’s excellent blog with comments section). Regardless of whether I agree or disagree with Kent, I congratulate him for caring enough to read and respond.

Before Bieter starts criticizing ACHD, he should probably look at his lack of enforcement on sidewalk snow removal. This law reads the same now as it did in 1922 when it was written.

Lack of sidewalk snow removal creates problems for any one who walks for transportation or recreation. This includes school kids, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Mayor Bieter should be concerned about all people during events like this and not just those who drive.

The mayor missed a major opportunity to show how city government collaborates with other agencies to best serve the public, instead he uses the opportunity to advance his personal war against ACHD.

It is a well known and oft repeated fact that the Mayor wants control of city streets, so persistent and vocal is he in this regard he has lost all credibility to be an objective critic of ACHD.

The Mayor’s OpEd is full of criticism but lacks specifics on how ACHD has failed us, and he presents no detailed plan on how he would manage the streets better, only broad sounds bites of putting the citizens first…..

While I am no big fan of ACHD, I at least believe they take a scientific approach to the use of the public streets and use data and engineering to plan use of the streets, I have no such confidence in the Mayor, his traffic management plan is really about social outcomes he desires, not how public infrastructure can best be used to serve all citizens.

jj offers some awesome analysis of the stalemate between ACHD and city government!

The only thing I slightly disagree on… a week ago, city employees were actually deployed, to help clear storm drains, etc., in anticipation of more wet stuff. (Mayor Bieter thinks ACHD dropped the ball, by being short-staffed and ill-equipped.) So there actually WAS some totally-appropriate collaboration between the entities. Private citizens joined the effort, too! THAT, my friends, is how you deal with a once-every-30-years weather event! And we’re not out of it yet, most likely.