Terrible scene. Atlanta snow then instant ice rink.

One question about the timing...

First, my one assumption- once traffic gets to a certain level, then the trucks (salt, plow, sand- you pick), can't do anything thanks to the traffic. What I saw was traffic so bad that the trucks had no space to operate.

Timing question- did the snow come early?

I know I try to get out of work early if the snow is bad, and I expect everyone to be generally the same.

So if the snow/ice started early, and drivers went out on the road before the trucks got out there, then it seems as if there was nothing they could do....

I guess my only other question is raw numbers. Last time I was in Atlanta, I saw lots and lots of freeways- both wider and more than here in SE MI. So to clear them, or even prep them in a timely manner like is done here, the number of trucks required would be more than we have. Which, for a southern city, seems unlikely. Unless there were capabilitys of dual use. But seeing the dump truck spreading sand with 5 workers with shovels, that doesn't seem likely.

So it seems as if, given the typical budget restrictions everyone has, the raw numbers of trucks needed just isn't there.

Which is another way of saying- what more could they have done, given how it played out? That's a real question- I really don't have an idea....

Common sense is a big part of staying out of this mess. I drive an 18 wheeler and was getting unloaded in McDonough, GA (30 miles South of Atlanta) and was given a follow up load to pick up in Spartanburg, SC. There were very, very faint traces of flakes at that point (about 10am). I sent a message back telling him no. I didn't mind sticking around town but I wasn't leaving Atlanta with this weather forecast looming. He tries to then send me to Dalton, GA (about a hundred miles North of Atlanta) right where the meat of the problems was beginning to occur. That's about the time I heard reports of the entire west side of Atlanta was starting to get rough. I told my boss I was going to go home and wait this out there. I got unloaded and was fortunate enough to be home by around 2pm and did not have to sit out there. Common sense plays a big role. Just thinking ahead.

alfadriver wrote: Timing question- did the snow come early?

A little bit, but not too much. It was predicted, at first, for around 1pm. Then it was changed to 12pm. It started in places (mostly on the west side of Atlanta) a couple of hours earlier than that. But what happened was that when it got here, it got here fast and caused problems fast. It wasn't a gradual thing. It came and conquered quickly.

There was a ridiculous amount of 18 wheelers that were dumber than you. They were most of the ones getting stuck. I saw on the news, a ford f350 pulling 18wheelers up a hill. If Ford doesn't latch on to that video, they are missing out on some serious marketing.

In reply to lnlogauge:

Why would they bother? TGUS was pulling a berkeleying plane with 3.5TT F150......with authority at that.

Those who say that Southerners can't drive in the snow and that "this happens every day in New England" are missing one crucial piece of information.

Atlanta doesn't have de-icing equipment. They can't properly clear the roads. If a New England snow storm had to work with Atlanta's (lack of) snow removal infrastructure, there would be just as many accidents.

In reply to qdseeker:
We had a recent snow storm up here in SE Michigan and I was out in my Astro to stock up on gas for my generator, just in case. At the truck stop where I got gas there was a semi stuck on the street crosswise. He was just driving from one truck stop across 5 lanes to the other truck stop and got stuck on the packed snow.Tractor was on one side of the road crown and the trailer wheels were on the other and he couldn't move.I've never bothered to look at tractor or trailer tires. Are they just totally inappropriate for packed snow or ice? The reason I ask is because I saw lots of rigs sideways in the Atlanta pictures and there was a big pileup on I-94 recently where 3 people were killed and that pileup had a lot of semis in it.

Sky_Render wrote: Those who say that Southerners can't drive in the snow and that "this happens every day in New England" are missing one crucial piece of information. Atlanta doesn't have de-icing equipment. They can't properly clear the roads. If a New England snow storm had to work with Atlanta's (lack of) snow removal infrastructure, there would be *just as many accidents.*

When you live in a big city, in the midwest and/or North East, the roads are pretty well groomed, I moved to a smaller city in the NE, and the roads are not well groomed. How to avoid bad situations, leave early or wait until later. Drive slow and cautious, people in GA panic, and what typically happens when people panic is they don't use their brain.

Sky_Render wrote: Those who say that Southerners can't drive in the snow and that "this happens every day in New England" are missing one crucial piece of information. Atlanta doesn't have de-icing equipment. They can't properly clear the roads. If a New England snow storm had to work with Atlanta's (lack of) snow removal infrastructure, there would be *just as many accidents.*

Disagree. Look how many accidents happen when it rains in atlanta. It's just a lack of preperation, lack of common sense and panic.

Sky_Render wrote: Those who say that Southerners can't drive in the snow and that "this happens every day in New England" are missing one crucial piece of information. Atlanta doesn't have de-icing equipment. They can't properly clear the roads. If a New England snow storm had to work with Atlanta's (lack of) snow removal infrastructure, there would be *just as many accidents.*

Vermont has a safe roads at safe speeds policy. Their roads are not anywhere near clear in snow storms - even the highways. People are expected to use their brains.

DaveEstey wrote:

Sky_Render wrote: Those who say that Southerners can't drive in the snow and that "this happens every day in New England" are missing one crucial piece of information. Atlanta doesn't have de-icing equipment. They can't properly clear the roads. If a New England snow storm had to work with Atlanta's (lack of) snow removal infrastructure, there would be *just as many accidents.*

Vermont has a safe roads at safe speeds policy. Their roads are not anywhere near clear in snow storms - even the highways. People are expected to use their brains.

WHAT?!?!? Use your brain? What is this, 1954? People don't do that any more.

/sarcasm

In reply to DeadSkunk:

They're normally adequate.....most only have one drive axle though and gobs of torque. Both those and a light load = not fun. Conversely, that pile up on I-94 was caused by dipE36 M3s in cars and not enough time to react.

In reply to Bobzilla:

Look at how people drive in Atlanta when its clear and sunny out. 4+ lanes without looking or signalling, general douchebaggery, and asshattery occurs on their interstates every given day. That is more the less why we all say you berkeleyers can't drive.

My uncle(who made it home through ATL tuesday) said, 50% of the problem is people running around on bald ass tires because they're too cheap, and the other 50% just can't drive.

In reply to Bobzilla:

It hurts because it's true.

Just came across this and HAD to share:

yamaha wrote: In reply to DeadSkunk: They're normally adequate.....most only have one drive axle though and gobs of torque. Both those and a light load = not fun. Conversely, that pile up on I-94 was caused by dipE36 M3s in cars and not enough time to react. In reply to Bobzilla: Look at how people drive in Atlanta when its clear and sunny out. 4+ lanes without looking or signalling, general douchebaggery, and asshattery occurs on their interstates every given day. That is more the less why we all say you berkeleyers can't drive. My uncle(who made it home through ATL tuesday) said, 50% of the problem is people running around on bald ass tires because they're too cheap, and the other 50% just can't drive.

There's a reason I time my travel through Hotlanta for 2-5am. It's the only time you can run the speed limit through town, get through without a 4 hour wait and have the least chance of getting killed by morons.

This whole ordeal has less to do with the weather and EVERYTHING to do with the attitude and aptitude of the drivers in the area.

trigun7469 wrote: When you live in a big city, in the midwest and/or North East, the roads are pretty well groomed, I moved to a smaller city in the NE, and the roads are not well groomed.

big city + groomed roads = OK
small city + ungroomed roads = OK
big city + ungroomed roads = chaos

I live in Winston Salem now. We got snow tuesday as well. 1-2" on the ground, and businesses/schools/etc. shut down due to general panic. Idiots were out driving as usual, but the volume of traffic here is slow low it doesn't paralyze the city. Most people made it home without incident. Multiply the situation here 25x and you get... Atlanta

The talking heads on CNN and FOX have been grilling the Governor; they're essentially wanting him to be the scapegoat for a lot of other people's mistakes. To his credit, yesterday he admitted that he erred in not shutting down government as a precautionary measure. He also pointed out (correctly) that if he had ordered a shut-down, the same people roasting him now would be at this throat if there was a non-event and his decision caused "unnecessary" economic hardship. While I like having an adversary press, sometimes its' hard for them not to come across as morons.

Meanwhile, the local city governments (that surround Atlanta), school system administrators, business owners and the universally idiotic drivers all get a pass.

On the bright side, the temp has skyrocketed past freezing and it's now a blazing 36F. On the dark side, the water line to an outside faucet froze, burst and spewed water across the front stoop and sidewalk. Luckily, I was home and just a few feet away when it happened. I foresee a relatively expensive repair for plumbing and sheetrock repair in the not-too-distant future.

C'est la vie.....

Bobzilla wrote: Just came across this and HAD to share:

Why does the fast lane vehicle look like it is going the wrong direction?

Spun out is my guess.

fidelity101 wrote: Spun out is my guess.

I was thinking that but he is dead center in that lane. HOPEFULLY he spun out.

Bobzilla wrote:

yamaha wrote: In reply to DeadSkunk: They're normally adequate.....most only have one drive axle though and gobs of torque. Both those and a light load = not fun. Conversely, that pile up on I-94 was caused by dipE36 M3s in cars and not enough time to react. In reply to Bobzilla: Look at how people drive in Atlanta when its clear and sunny out. 4+ lanes without looking or signalling, general douchebaggery, and asshattery occurs on their interstates every given day. That is more the less why we all say you berkeleyers can't drive. My uncle(who made it home through ATL tuesday) said, 50% of the problem is people running around on bald ass tires because they're too cheap, and the other 50% just can't drive.

There's a reason I time my travel through Hotlanta for 2-5am. It's the only time you can run the speed limit through town, get through without a 4 hour wait and have the least chance of getting killed by morons. This whole ordeal has less to do with the weather and EVERYTHING to do with the attitude and aptitude of the drivers in the area.

I think I've become desensitized to it. For a long time I would get really angry every commute at the lack of turn signals, tailgating, and general assclown driving around me. For my own sanity I've somewhat learned to tune it out. The company pays me really well so I'm not about to leave my downtown job but I do dream of a day when I don't have to deal with Atlanta drivers.

N Sperlo wrote:

fidelity101 wrote: Spun out is my guess.

I was thinking that but he is dead center in that lane. HOPEFULLY he spun out.

He probably looked at the other side and said "berkeley this".

This just in, Mayor of Atlanta proposes moving the city to the ocean to avoid blame for future events......the prophesy of futurama may now be realized.

Whadda ya know? Ken Block was in town!

And I was complaining when it took me 2.5hrs to get home during a legitimate blizzard last week! Wow...

Like others said, the southern states may not have the equipment, resources, or proper knowledge to deal with snow or ice, even if it's only a few inches. Given that I've read reports in the past few years of horror stories of slight ice or snow storms crippling cities in Texas, Georgia, etc, maybe they should start preparing for this kind of weather. And like others also said, it only takes one doofus to screw up traffic for everybody.

But again, this can happen anywhere, even up here in MA where we are "prepared" for it. Last year (I think) there was a storm that kinda came up on us quick on a weekday. The governor declared a state of emergency, and sent home all non-essential workers at around 1PM. That caused a horrific traffic jam pretty much across the entire state. People commuting in or around Boston (like me) were caught up in the mess, and for some, it took many hours to get home.

So, I can understand the insanity that goes on when a storm hits a Southern locale. What I can't explain is how so many people UP HERE in New England cannot deal with the snow. It has been snowing or cold here during the winter pretty much every year in recorded history, yet every time it snows, people cannot clear their cars off, they lose all the shovels they bought the year before, and they forget how to drive completely.