If the fiery frustration of St. Louisans could clear the inches-thick ice from roadways, the region would have the most effective winter weather plan in the country.
That might be the only approach St. Louis hasn’t tried to clear its 4,230 miles of roads. During the city’s Public Infrastructure and Utilities Committee meeting on Wednesday, Director of Streets Betherny Williams explained that the goal is to make the streets passable.
That means most vehicles should have no problem driving down them — it does not mean completely clear.
That’s left St. Louis motorists saltier than their streets, and St. Louis County residents haven’t fared much better. (The Metro East is another story.)
So on Thursday, St. Louis on the Air opened our phones and email inboxes to those disappointed by the state of our frozen roads. Callers from across our listening area expressed their grievances, shared their personal experiences and offered suggestions on how to clear the streets and sidewalks next time heavy wintry precipitation moves in.
Here are some of their thoughts:
County roads are “terrible,” said Denise from St. Louis County.
“There's a lot of subdivisions that are a mess. They did not plow and even on the highways [nor] entry ramps,” she said. “On the Rock Road, Tesson Ferry all of a sudden your right lane is gone, your left lane's gone, and it's still happening. Why aren't they out there this week trying to clear up some of that? I mean, it's just unbelievable.”
The conditions of sidewalks have also been an issue for St. Louis on the Air listeners.
“Our kids and a lot of other kids walk to school as a matter of getting back and forth. Their school sent out an email saying, ‘Make sure kids walk on the sidewalk. Be safe. Don't walk in the roads,’” said Mark from Ladue.
“However, the plows push all of the snow onto the sidewalks and no one can walk on it,” he added. “I called the city, and they agreed it was their responsibility and they should clear it, but they simply had no way to do it. No equipment, no tools, and the plan was just to let it melt. But with all of the temperatures continuing to be cold, he had no timeline, no outlook, nor any advice. There must be a better way to keep the sidewalks cleared for people who want to use the sidewalks for exercise or getting back and forth to school.”
Some found a silver lining to being snowed in — connecting with and helping out neighbors.
Katie wrote on St. Louis Public Radio’s Facebook post: “My neighbors asked if they could borrow my shovel because theirs broke. I put mine on my porch for them to snag. When I looked out to see if they had returned it yet, they had shoveled our front steps and sidewalk as a thank-you.”
“There are several people in my neighborhood’s Facebook group who have repeatedly answered the requests to help neighbors shovel their cars out of their parking spots,” Jennifer shared. “It’s unfortunate that we are only hearing about people who have had negative experiences. Everything I’ve personally witnessed has been people helping people.”
She wasn’t alone. Another told a story of a neighbor helping dig a car out after it got stuck in the snow.
“I did not ask for help,” Manju said. “There are lots of kind people in this world.”
For more on the varying responses to icy roads, including how an area superintendent made the decision to close her district for a week, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
Have a question or comment about snow removal from roadways? Send an email to talk@stlpr.org or share your thoughts via our St. Louis on the Air Facebook group, and help inform our coverage.
