Snowpocalypse



Today brought me the first snow day I’ve experienced since 1999.  It’s simultaneously exciting and eerie.  Chicago news reporters have been covering snowmageddon 2011 and her aftermath for over 24 hours now.  A myriad of cars and public busses remain parked, stranded and abandoned to be more accurate, on LSD (Lake Shore Drive – a main thoroughfare bypassing downtown Chicago and buttressing Lake Michigan for about 16 miles).  It almost resembled a scene from The Day After Tomorrow.

Since I wasn’t around to experience the blizzard of  ’67, I’ll let you decide which snowpocalypse was worse…

THEN...

NOW...

I was thankful not to have to go to work today, especially considering how much of a ghost town the downtown area had turned into and how potentially risky relying on public transit could be.  Richard Rodriguez, president of CTA (Chicago Transit Authority), gave an optimistic analysis of the state of the L train system today when he participated in a press conference with other representatives from da Mayor’s office, ComEd and the Chicago Fire Dept.  He mentioned that only the Yellow line had been shut down due to the fact that it’s “at grade,” or regular ground level and therefore difficult to keep the tracks clear of snow and ice.  Otherwise he said, that trains were still functioning with very minimal delays and that the CTA was still prepping to handle normal rush hour traffic come Thursday morning.  Well, kudos to him but I remain quite skeptical.

Personally, I think in situations like this, however rare they occur, alternative and creative methods of public transportation should be explored and considered.  For example, why not purchase a fleet of supped-up snowmobiles that can be equipped with sled carriages to accommodate a dozen passengers. Or, maybe construct a giant network of ski lifts atop the existing L train lines? Or, perhaps contract the city’s thousands of dog owners to transport folks using tons of dog sleds (mush!)? Or, how about horse-draw trolley cars, a modified version of this 1965 model?



Though, I’m not sure the Chicagoland area has enough Clydesdales and draft horses to handle hundreds of thousands of stereotypically impatience commuters. Hmmm…what are your thoughts on alternatives? How does your city handle inclement weather snafus?