Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Romney Highway Storm Policy Proves Slippery At Best
A morning snow shower paralyzed greater Boston highways yesterday, gridlocking traffic for hours. MassHighway Department officials told the Boston Globe that their "agency had been caught off guard because the prediction was for mere flurries." (source: Boston Globe, 12/3/2003)
However, independent snowplow contractors who have been balking at new state regulations claimed they were not called out to sand the roads by a punitive MassHighway Department. (source: Boston Herald, 12/3/2003)
Aside from the over 300 accidents that were reported to State Police, the malprepared roads caused “almost incalculable economic carnage due to missed meetings, blown deadlines and lost productivity.”
This is the second time this year that MassHighway inaction has caused massive traffic tie-ups. Last March, plow operators accused Romney officials of holding them back “until the last possible minute and getting a late jump on a blinding snowstorm that created scores of major accidents, including a 100-car pileup on I-95 in Attleboro.” (source: Boston Herald, 3/8/2003)
Plow drivers said that state managers use “the 11th-hour mobilizations” in a short-sighted attempt to save money.
Total snow-fall at Logan Airport during yesterday’s “storm" according to National Weather Service : 2/10ths of an inch. Total economic impact to state businesses according to the Associated Industries of Massachusetts: in the millions. (source: Boston Herald, 12/3/2003)
Thankfully the long New England winter is finally over, and the Fraud Governor can return his attention to the harder functions of government, like instructing taxpayers on how to safely cook a turkey.
A morning snow shower paralyzed greater Boston highways yesterday, gridlocking traffic for hours. MassHighway Department officials told the Boston Globe that their "agency had been caught off guard because the prediction was for mere flurries." (source: Boston Globe, 12/3/2003)
However, independent snowplow contractors who have been balking at new state regulations claimed they were not called out to sand the roads by a punitive MassHighway Department. (source: Boston Herald, 12/3/2003)
Aside from the over 300 accidents that were reported to State Police, the malprepared roads caused “almost incalculable economic carnage due to missed meetings, blown deadlines and lost productivity.”
This is the second time this year that MassHighway inaction has caused massive traffic tie-ups. Last March, plow operators accused Romney officials of holding them back “until the last possible minute and getting a late jump on a blinding snowstorm that created scores of major accidents, including a 100-car pileup on I-95 in Attleboro.” (source: Boston Herald, 3/8/2003)
Plow drivers said that state managers use “the 11th-hour mobilizations” in a short-sighted attempt to save money.
Total snow-fall at Logan Airport during yesterday’s “storm" according to National Weather Service : 2/10ths of an inch. Total economic impact to state businesses according to the Associated Industries of Massachusetts: in the millions. (source: Boston Herald, 12/3/2003)
Thankfully the long New England winter is finally over, and the Fraud Governor can return his attention to the harder functions of government, like instructing taxpayers on how to safely cook a turkey.
