| quote: | Originally posted by rubyriva
the weather is DEPRESSING and is having a horrible effect on my motivation...
maybe i can get health insurance to pay for me to relocate someplace warm
anyone know when the cold/snow is going to end? |
not anytime soon .. read this !
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...id=968332188492
This is the view GTA motorists dread most - when weather and road conditions combine to make the morning commute frustrating and treacherous.
Apr. 3, 2003. 01:05 PM
Ron Bull/Toronto Star
Late winter blast catches city off-guard
Officials warn of treacherous commute Friday morning
JOSH RUBIN
STAFF REPORTER THESTAR.COM
City officials are scrambling to recall road-salting trucks and sidewalk ploughs to deal with a winter storm expected to dump up to 10 centimetres of ice pellets and freezing rain on the Toronto area by midday Friday. Most of the equipment had been leased from private companies under contracts that ran out at the end of March.
The storm caught city officials off-guard, and so far only 60 per cent of road-salting trucks and fewer than 50 per cent of sidewalk salters have been recalled, said Roberto Stopnicki, who's heading the road-clearing efforts.
"It's a challenge. It would certainly have been easier to deal with a month ago," said Stopnicki.
Many of the former road-salting trucks are already being used by their owners for other purposes, Stopnicki explained.
"People have been very helpful and responsive when we've called, but some of the contractors have other obligations," Stopnicki said.
The most difficult problem for Stopnicki to solve will be in clearing city sidewalks. While the city owns almost 40 per cent of the sanding and salting trucks used for city streets, almost 80 per cent of the sidewalk ploughs are owned by private contractors.
"We might not be able to get to some of the local streets or the sidewalks. We'll be concentrating on the main roads, and anywhere there are bus routes," said Stopnicki, who warned pedestrians and drivers should take extra care.
Even getting the major routes cleared of ice will likely take longer than usual, he added.
Most of the ice pellets - along with freezing rain - are expected to come down overnight, according to Environment Canada's Andre Cyr.
"It will start this afternoon with freezing rain and keep getting worse overnight. The morning rush hour could be pretty bad,'' said Cyr. Tomorrow's forecast high is —3 C.
On Saturday, the Toronto area will likely get more ice pellets and freezing rain, but the temperature could rise above the freezing mark in the afternoon, Cyr added.
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Palm Trees > Pine Trees , Sand > Snow
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