Bad even for Amarillo

I understand that a city located in a highly temperate weather zone with a corporatist city leadership is going to have, at best, a minimal amount of resources available to deal with inclement winter weather. Having said that, the City's response to this storm was bad even by Amarillo standards. The roads around the schools this morning are absolutely appalling. Between the idiots who speed, stop in the middle of the road or run through stop signs and crosswalks, taking my kids to school feels like running a gauntlet even on the best of days. Today was unbelievable. Repeated thawing and freezing has turned the snow into boulders of ice that give way under the vehicle causing it to slide in unpredictable directions, a situation only made more hazardous by numerous, stranded vehicles of every type. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some kid gets killed today.

I made several runs to and from the hospitals Thursday night through Friday night and those roads were in equally poor condition. Pity anyone who had to try to get there in a sedan.

Meteorlogists have called for a cold, wet winter this year, so there is a very good possibility we'll have another storm like this blow through before the season is over. Let's hope the City's strategy improves between now and then.