Hey, there! Log in / Register
Mayor orders snow completely cleared from Boylston Street by 11 a.m., Tuesday
By adamg on Mon, 02/02/2015 - 10:09am
Because that's when the Patriots Duck Boat parade will start at the Prudential Center. It will end with at City Hall, rather than with the ceremonial dunking in the Charles, because the Duck Boats are not equipped as icebreakers.
UPDATE: Mayor Walsh says no rally at City Hall, though, due to all the snow and the windchill. Also: City is working to remove snow from everywhere, not just the parade route, mayor says. He adds:
I think we're gonna have school tomorrow. We're not cancelling school for the parade tomorrow, I can tell you that.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Thank goodness
Finally, the city will be drivable again. That's some world-class leadership, Walshy.
A small area of the city
At that. On a weekday, when many people have already missed several days due to the storms.
Priorities.
I'm glad he's got his priorities straight
He doesn't order Boylston Street completely cleared that fast for the working person and Bostonian to get on with their lives, but he'll clean it for the Patriots and suburban day trippers that will stream in. Nice priorities.
YUP
Some streets in the city will still be unplowed by tomorrow but boy we'll have Tremont and Boylston all edged and nice-y by 8am tomorrow. *eye roll*
Suburban day trippers?
Not that Somerville, Cambridge or Watertown are exactly suburbs, but we'll have our hands full this evening trying to remove the plow cap from the end of our driveways; and I wonder if many schools will be open tomorrow. So unless the T is actually functioning to spec (doubtful), I don't think that this will be an *ahem* well-attended rally. Bostonians or suburbanites, it won't matter; none of our roads inside 128 will be that clear by morning.
Back out to shovel...
He doesn't order Boylston
Why would he, when Boston has such a reliable (world-class) public transit system? I can't believe anyone actually drives a car in the city of Boston.
/sarcasm
East Boston
East Boston is a mess. Barely been touched. They make sure they take care of every where else. We are always the last to get things done and the first to have everything be dumped on.
The parade is on Tuesday?
The parade is on Tuesday?
So, to recap, most people are working from home (and schools are closed) today because of the snow...and they think asking people to take half of tomorrow off from work/school is a good idea? In addition, they will have to prioritize snow removal for Boylston Street just to clear sidewalks...etc. by tomorrow morning. Great use of taxpayer $$$!
Boo Hoo
How long do you expect the players to wait around for a parade? Either it's tomorrow, Wednesday, or there isn't one. Your call.
If it was my call...
I'd save it for the summer when it was nice and warm and good parade weather.
I would have picked Wednesday
Give the city more time to clear the snow, and don't risk the possibility that the Pats can't even land at Logan tonight. It will also be considerably warmer than tomorrow!
Or they could actually schedule
a time, preferably on a weekend, when the players can be available. Although, for the amount of money they're paid, it should not be unreasonable to expect the players to participate at the time and place determined by the City.
The idea that we need to have a victory parade immediately after the game is such nonsense.
The city of Boston does not
The city of Boston does not pay the New England Patriots.
I agree that the victory parade is not needed immediately; in fact it's not NEEDED at all. But if you want to have a parade honoring the players who won the championship, it does need to happen quite soon, or it won't happen at all.
The fact the City is allowing the
players to
force the City when to holddetermine when the parade will be held is nothing more than pure BS.But by all means, we should IMMEDIATELY hold a parade on a very cold day through streets with huge snowbanks. And no post-parade rally on City Hall Plaza either. All because some "professional" athletes who happened to win a game not because of talent, but because of a total fluke, consider themselves too self-important to be required to come back to the City one or two weekends after the game.
Sadly, this thing is going to be a cluster - even though it's been postponed to Wednesday morning.
OLYMPIC QUALITY LEADERSHIP
THIS IS OLYMPIC QUALITY LEADERSHIP
Let's make it nice for some people, but screw everyone else in the process!
Marty is going to make history...
as the only one term mayor of Boston since the institution of a 4 year term.
Yes, but
what a cushion he'll have when he leaves office.
Hold your horses, there
As I recall, back in 2011 businesses in the Back Bay were screaming because there were piles of snow everywhere, narrowing streets and making it impossible to park. This mayor is doing a great job ensuring that Boylston Street will be clear before the businesses complain.
Are you really going to say that the mayor in 2011 was horrible and should have been booted out after one term? Heck, that guy could barely handle a storm that struck in April.
Of course, mayors have been booted in other cities for poor snow removal. My advice to the political leaders in, say, Chicago is to make sure elections are held months after the end of winter.
It's not about Boylston being cleared
It's about the fact that the PARADE is the reason, while much of the rest of the city is buried. We could probably use that haste and those resources spread out a bit. There's a difference between having Boylston cleared for businesses and residents, and having it ready for a few 100,000 people (and that's being VERY conservative).
The one term thing isn't just about the snow-that's just the (kind of literal) icing on the proverbial cake, to date. The Olympics debacle will be the big-picture catalyst.
Also, the guy in 2011 was just a tad past his first term, and I'd say he left Boston a little better than he found it.
Snow removal
Has been going on all week. They have removed thousands and thousands of tons of snow from the neighborhoods, including East Boston.
They're not going to do your side street but I'm sure major squares and intersections have been cleared somewhat.
I live in Putnam Square
Right near the HS, and it's still pretty rough. They've made pretty big strides, but people are still walking in the streets because many of the sidewalks are iced over (I know this is on residents, but there's 0 enforcement) and there are no openings for crosswalks at many intersections. This also doesn't account for today, and it's not like I'm the only person in this thread saying it.
I was stunned to see an ice
I was stunned to see an ice melter operating in Central Square (the Eastie one) a few days ago. Nearly got run over by an overly-enthusiastic backhoe scooping up snow, in fact. So far "Eastie" seems to begin and end at Maverick station for this administration, but hey, it's a start.
Selective, perhaps partisan memory
So, the guy before never did anything at the behest of our professional sports teams, or agreed to host a major event that disrupted the lives of both residents and workers? Also, I was around back in 1998 (the April storm that had the DPW flummoxed) and 1994 (couldn't handle snow in March), so my guess is that if this version of the internet was big back in those times, the likes of you would be noting that the guy from Readville who could barely talk wouldn't be around beyond 1998.
Sorry, Walsh is my fourth mayor. Trust me, you should be getting used to him. These little hiccups only mean that higher office is looking slimmer and slimmer.
Yeah, so
I was 13 and 9, respectively, for what it's worth.
Menino had his controversies, but nothing on the scale of the Olympics, and not so much in such little time. I have no issues with the city having parades for our teams-we're not the only city that does it, and sports fan or not, it's part of living in a major city, deal with it. But there's a line, and there's some common sense that should be exercised.
When it comes down to it, "this version of the internet" demands more accountability. People are more connected than ever and it's much easier to have debates and conversations, uncover and disseminate information, and so on in today's world. We've seen time and time again that ALL public figures have to tread lightly, sometimes a little too lightly, but it doesn't necessarily help the mayor's case.
Okay, the big debate is this
What would Menino have done under these circumstances? Either say "no go" to the parade and get excoriated by the public or do exactly what Walsh is doing.
Also, who knows how Menino would have handled the Olympics? He was always into his legacy (if you don't believe me, look at 90% of the municipal signs in this town) to the extent of repeatedly trying to move City Hall. My bet is that he would have embraced this 85% (the last 15% being cost overruns) and would not have balked at muzzling his employees in the process.
Yeah, the internet creates some level of accountability, but the internet doesn't vote.
Wind Chills
Predicting seriously low wind chill readings also. Great way to celebrate!
Who thought it was a great
Who thought it was a great idea to schedule the parade right after a major snowstorm and during a work week? No one is going to get time off from work on short notice to attend and many throughout the state won't be able to easily get to the parade because of the travel conditions.
This is a stooge like poke in the eyes to fans and residents alike.
They're always during the
They're always during the work week. In eight years of working on or adjacent to Boylston Street and the Common, I've seen a lot of these parades. This one is very poorly timed, but I wouldn't expect to ever see one on a weekend (as much as that might make sense).
(and yeah, I wanted to go to the parade too, and probably won't be able to...not happy either)
The last parade was on a Saturday
The last Red Sox parade was on Saturday, November 2, 2013.
Edit: so was their first one (of the modern era), Saturday, October 30, 2004.
Bruins too
As I recall I was playing in a golf tournament and my wife was home with her Dad who was visiting - which means it would have been a Saturday.
Jinx
You have to buy me a Coke (and pour it on the internet).
If only...
Can you imagine how wonderful the uHub comment threads would be? Not to mention BDC!
When did those series' end?
The team isn't going to sit around for a week waiting for a parade. Super Bowl parades have always been during the week.
You umm..
...replied to the wrong comment.
Regardless, I'm not sure if you've looked around, but we just had a storm that missed breaking top 5 in Boston's recorded history by a whopping 5 inches. A significant portion of the city didn't even get a chance to dig out from that, and we're getting at least twice that difference today just for good measure. I don't care what the Patriots want to do or what has been done in the past, we have bigger priorities as a city right now. Let them run the parade down Route 1 tomorrow if they want it that badly.
Bruins won on a Wednesday,
Bruins won on a Wednesday, parade was on a Saturday.
Equivalent would be holding this parade on Wednesday. A day sounds like a minor difference but it gives the city an actual chance to recover from this storm, which I think most of us would like.
Does this count
I spilled a glass of Pepsi on my keyboard? :-)
No
All that gets you is a few badly dancing sharks.
Bruins too
The Bruins were on a beautiful Saturday morning.
To sound like a jaded Bostonian
The Pats have never had their championship parades on a Saturday. That's for the likes of the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics.
I would guess the team would like to get to their off season homes rather than spend the week in the area, especially if their off season homes are in warmer climes.
Timing of the championship
I think it's a momentum thing. When the Superbowl is played on a Sunday, it would feel like a drag to wait until Saturday to celebrate. Last couple parades that happened for the Sox and Bruins, the final games of those series happened mid-week and it was a shorter wait to a Saturday. Not that I agree with the timing--I really thought they would've waited at least til Wednesday. It's gonna be freezing out tomorrow and the extra push for snow removal downtown when other neighborhoods are still dealing with covered sidewalks is sort of a slap in the face.
Celtics were a Thursday
In 2008, the Celtics parade was on a Thursday...and I don't think Byrd or Russell had duckboat parades.
Snow-maggedon!
It's intimidating to think that for the past several days, Boston's work commutes in and out of the city, be they train- or vehicle-based, have been delayed by up to 1-2 hours each way. Now, on top of more than a foot of additional snow today, and large-event parade right in downtown mid-morning tomorrow, what will that do our commutes on Tuesday?! Tired of the city always prioritizing sports events, teams and players in an OCD-like way, above and before everyone and everything else.
Hold the parade in Foxboro.
Let their crews remove all the snow. Stop misallocating Boston's resources for this. Why are Boston taxpayers subsidizing this party? When our neighborhoods are still impassible tomorrow but the tourists can stand on dry sidewalks to watch the Foxboro team go by, Bostonians get screwed.
Get it over with
Yikes....but actually, GOOD. Get the thing over with and out of the way of people with actual lives to lead, places to go, and jobs to do.
What would you have him do?
Crews have been removing snow city wide at an unprecedented pace and volume. Roads will be clear throughout the city, as they were before this current storm started.
What is the mayor supposed to do when it snows? Seriously? He doesn't have a magic wand. All of you seem to forget how horrible snow was handled during menino's administration. It's winter. It snows.
Also, I'd love to know how many of you actually live within the city of boston.
I do
I live in Roxbury. Our trash has not been picked up in a week (supposed to be twice weekly, delayed one day last week only it didn't get picked up on the delay day either). I've reported two huge mounds of snow on City property blocking sidewalks and have received "REPORT CLOSED; TICKET ISSUED". (To whom?) And have you looked at Citizens Connect? I'm sure snow removal efforts are happening; I'm just not sure where.
Do like in Allston
and pour a container of blue snow melt on the drift. Apparently, that is equivalent to shoveling.
What should he do?!?!
CANCEL THE PARADE!
Born and Raised Bostonian Here
I was very tolerate of the city's effort to plow and remove snow UNTIL I realized that resources are going to a parade that should be going to my neighborhood/my community. The school bus stops are NOT cleared and I have 3 near me. None of them have been addressed by the city. I was patient, now I'm angry.
The fact that Mayor Walsh thought that this was a good idea is very disappointing.
It is relevant to non-Boston
It is relevant to non-Boston residents, too, because thousands of such folks come into the city to work for and provide services to Boston and its resident customers and businesses. This doesn't make that effort much thankfully easier.
All the more reason to hold the parade
on a weekend. That would encourage people to come into the City on a day when business is normally slower, thus providing an economic boost.
It would also make it easier for normal commuters who won't have to deal with overcrowding on the commuter rail and subway lines.
WHY YOU ALL SO GRUMPY?
Let's all enjoy the Patriots win on Boylston Street or in the comfort of your office cube or wherever.
Zero parking ban enforcement!
I'm grumpy because the city notified everyone last night of a parking ban today, but it's not being enforced. We live on an emergency artery that is usually cleared of cars during a parking ban. Saw a guy park his car in front of our house at 1:00 this morning - it's still there and is now seriously plowed in. There are other cars parked on the next block - if the city is going to call a parking ban then it should be enforced. This will make shoveling out a path to the street more difficult as we now have a huge wall of snow behind this car where the plows have swerved around it.
Thrilled about the Pats victory but grumpy about the management of the plowing by the city.
Yup
My whole block has cars parked, and it's a major artery to 93 and between a couple firehouses.
private nfl party
"comfort of your office cube"
if we could only get to our "office cube"!!!
the city is allocating its resources to making way for a private NFL party on Boylston while periphery neighborhoods are paralyzed.
about 6 inches of snow on my street in Brighton and only one plow so far today.
the bus stops are buried. sidewalks are buried. streets are buried.
meanwhile lets have a nfl party in the middle of the city.
Can the Patriots even fly
Can the Patriots even fly back by tomorrow much less have a parade on by tomorrow morning?
Today
Their charter is supposed to arrive later tonight. It hasn't departed yet and is evaluating expected conditions at Logan before deciding if it needs to adjust its schedule.
Mayor Canute
"The snow will be completely cleared!"
Sure.
Just cancel it you inept starry eyed knucklehead
Mahty just called us 'world class' before explaining that there will be no 'rally' because of the cold weather but the parade will continue as planned.
He's a dummy.
I think of him as an overly
I think of him as an overly excitable little boy stuffed in a grown man's suit.
But "inept starry eyed knucklehead" is both accurate and original. I approve.
How Come He's Seldom Seen Smiling?
What is he really thinking about?
They never have post-title rallies
My memory is that there hasn't been a post-title rally at City Hall Plaza (like, on a dais, not just stopping for an extended period of time) since the first Patriots Super Bowl win in 2002. That one was a legendary overcrowded and drunken-teen disaster, from what I recall, and when the second trophy came home it was explained that the ducks would just roll down the route and be done with it. Hence the embarrassing term "rolling rally" that we've all accepted as standard language for the past decade.
Rolling vs stationary rallies
From looking at some old newspaper articles, it looks like the 2004 Pats parade also ended with a stationary rally at City Hall Plaza. I don't think any subsequent parade has ended with a stationary rally.
Oh boy...
The first person to get a snowball fight started with Rob Gronkowski will be a hero.
Snowball fight would end very
That snowball fight would end very abruptly.
Ridiculous!
Huntington ave hasn't been cleared from the last storm yet he can get boylston cleared for a parade? So far he's been a terrible mayor from a resident perspective.
I am glad that the Patriots
I am glad that the Patriots have won their 4th Super Bowl Championship.
As for the parade as long as Bob Kraft is willing to foot the bill for the snow removal then I am fine with that. But as usual it will fall on the taxpayers of the City of Boston, while it will still be impossible to cross a street without fear of being hit by a car hiding behind a huge snowbank.
We're not cancelling school
One term!
Ridiculous
And to top it off, it's going to be seriously cold. It should wait until at least the end of the week, this coming weekend would be better.
What part of the players
What part of the players wanted it on Tuesday don't you understand?
World class crankiness
Jeez, give Walsh a break. I think the snow removal has been equal, if not better than, under Menino. There's going to be a parade, the route needs to be clear because yes, there will be huge crowds. I expect the city to put more effort into any area if there is going to be big event, whether it is street cleaning, police presence or getting rid of the snow.
Enjoy the win!
Weather for attendees who
Weather for attendees who like football shouldn't be an issue. They stand and freeze to tailgate and watch a game then they'll certainly to the same for the parade.
Timing is unfortunate but not a surprise. Often been mid-week and some school and work skipping is done though perhaps a little less sanctioned this year with all the days missed so far last week and today.
But gotta hand it to the team for a great season, playoffs, and blast of a game yesterday.
I'll certainly try to watch it on TV or in highlights from a warm seat.
First I'd like to say I
First I'd like to say I stopped using Universal Hub as a news source about a year ago because of the censorship in the comments. But i said to myself "I bet you those silly yupps on Universal Hub are in agreement with Marty's bogus decision" and of course I'm seeing exactly what i expected, a bunch of Bostonians who will defend/justify every dumbassed thing Boston does as city. I can't wait til they air it around the world and people get to see just how dumb we are to hold a parade during a snow storm. I'll stop there because i know this comment might not be uploaded or my account will get deleted. Oh well have fun in the snow yuppies, you'll be the only ones that can make it to the parade anyways hahaha. If the Pats dont make it there, who's gonna be on the duck boats? The fans? Hahaha I know i just made someone's blood boil, imagine if they found out I was rooting for the Seahawks...OMG I've commented sin according to the religion of sports :-)
First I'd like to say I
Why were you ever using comments on an internet website as "a news source"? Seems like a dumb idea from the start.
That's some highly selective reading.
Why would they "air it around the world"? You don't think anyone outside the region cares, do you? I can't imagine you do, you're such a pill.
No you won't.
See?
Yep, still gassing away.
yourself look like an ass in public.
Still not stopping, and still not speaking English.
Breaking News - Parade Moved to Wednesday
Just announced on the news - parade has been moved to Wednesday!
and yet
You were an active commenter 5 months ago according to your user name stats.
It's almost like you didn't think this out...