Quote:
Originally Posted by katex
What Eric tends to forget too Jaysay, is that where he lives in Kingston is not as congested as our roads, and they are all set out in an almost perfect grid without a hill in sight. No heavy population in a small area.
Google earth it, you will see what I mean ... so there Eric ... stop smurking at us ...  |
Maybe you are looking at the wrong Kingston .... Kingston is a city of 120,000; and while much of it by the lake is fairly flat, there are enough hills to make driving interesting in winter. The old part of Kingston has narrow streets ... on my street, for example, there is barely enough room for two cars to pass even in summer, and there is no parking on our street at any time .... (on Google Earth you can find North Bartlett Street). Downtown Kingston is quite congested. Out in the burbs, it is different; but about 60% of the population live in the old part of the city.
But I agree that we are prepared for winter; and drivers ... most of them anyway .... know how to drive in snow. And the city has lots of plows to take care of the streets. There are also quite a few sidewalk plows; and many people have plows on their pickups. These guys do contract plowing for mall parking lots etc. Most farmers have plows on their trucks.
Last week we had fairly constant snow. On Friday we had over 30cm; but the plows and the sanders were working throughout the snowstorm and the city never slowed down, let alone came to a full stop. You could still order a cab or a pizza ... and, more importantly, emergency service vehicles were fully operational.
But we are a winter country; snow and ice is part of our lives, something we might not like but have to live with. At the beginning of February every year, usually the most brutal part of the year, Kingstonians get out and celebrate with FebFest .... lots of outdoor activities for everyone ... hay rides, skating, cross country skiing ... centering on the rink behind city hall. We don't hibernate, we celebrate
And I do reserve the right to laugh when one of the world's major cities comes to a standstill after what is after all, a minor snowfall
So, get yourselves a good winter coat, some mitts, boots, and a touque; and get out there and shovel
Oh, and don't forget the long johns ... get the ones with the flap in the ass end
