HUDseen: Yes, Mayor, It Can Snow Here In Hudson in March, April and May! It Has And It Still Does!

Let's face it, as much as Hudson residents who park their cars on city streets at night appreciate not having to worry about the overnight parking rule on weekends for 7 months of the year, for City Hall to suspend the rule in mid-March, well before the threat of snow is past, is not smart and it is potentially costly for us all. One wonders if DPW Superintendent Rob Perry is happy to have his boss, Mayor Kamal Johnson, suspend the overnight rule for two nights of the week well before the threat of snow -- potentially lots of it, and potentially on several days -- has passed us.

The overnight opposite side parking rule is with us for two reasons alone: To allow the DPW street sweeper to get to as much of each side of (most) city streets as possible; and for DPW snowplows to do the same as soon as possible after a snowstorm, making for efficient use of the plows and the workers operating the plows. The parking rule that many of us find annoying, including myself, allows our streets to be free of debris and thoroughly plowed within two nights after snowfall. When the overnight rule is not in effect during or following snowfall, things get kind of messy and dangerous on our streets, and DPW spends extra days, time, MONEY AND GASOLINE trying to get streets properly plowed. Extra plowing also puts more carbon into the atmosphere and all sorts of nasty things into our lungs

Take last night's mid-April snow of two inches or so. Let's say that instead of two wet inches, 5 inches of dry snow fell. Or 18 inches. Of course, this is not out of the realm of possibilities here in the Hudson Valley -- not now, not for the next few weeks and certainly not for the past month since the mayor lifted the rule so that we can all think he is the bee's knees. Let's stick with the hypothetical 5 inches, falling on a Friday afternoon, and let's also say the snow doesn't melt for 5 days. With no car-owning residents having to stick to the odd/even rule on Friday and Saturday nights/Saturday and Sunday mornings, DPW would find it impossible to properly sweep the streets for two days and nights following the snowfall, only being able to finally clear parking spaces full of 5 inches of snow (and free of cars) on Sunday night and Monday night when the overnight parking rules would be back in effect. Do you see the potential problem caused by removing the parking rule too early in the year?

The white van pictured above seen on State Street this morning (an even day), like so many others in town that parked safely and legally on the odd side of the street last night, was obviously in the way of the DPW snow plows this morning. The plow was near the curb approaching the van, and then it had to veer around the van. Two months ago, the van would have been parked on the other side of the street, or it would have been ticketed.

If the snow sticks around for a few days but the van does not, DPW will only be able to remove the snow they had to leave behind if they return with a plow on Sunday night/Monday morning, finishing off an inefficient and wasteful snow removal effort. If the car is still parked there early on Monday morning, it should be ticketed for parking on the wrong side of the street, allowing for much needed revenue in the form of fifteen dollars. If there is snow in the streets while there is no overnight parking rule in effect, THE CITY IS WASTING MONEY AND TIME TRYING TO CLEAR OUR STREETS OF THE SNOW! The more snow, the more money that DPW wastes!

Kamal Johnson, while ignoring reality, probably thinks he is doing city residents a huge favor by suspending the overnight rule before spring has officially arrived (this year by one week!). Actually, what he is doing year after year is really, really dumb. He is making a decision that can unnecessarily cost the city money (and probably has, even this weekend) -- potentially lots of money. The overnight rule allows DPW to remove snow efficiently, effectively, as quickly as possible and at the lowest cost and hassle. This reasoning is probably too much for our so-called mayor to wrap his head around (to say nothing of the fact that he doesn't give a hoot about fiscal responsibility!). And what about Rob Perry? Has he told his boss that suspending the overnight rule every year a month and a half before May arrives is a risky, stupid and potentially costly thing to do, and that it has the potential to make his job all the more difficult WHEN -- not if -- we get snow in the spring?

Then there is North 6th Street between State and Washington, a shitshow every day of the year where no overnight parking regulation has ever been in effect for the west side of the street (due to the narrowness of the street there is never parking allowed on the east side). Along the west side of these two blocks is free parking 24/7/365. No overnight rule ever, no cars or trucks ever have to move, no Wrong Side parking tickets are ever issued by HPD, no sweeping of debris or plowing of snow ever takes place. Is your vehicle not working and you don't need it? If you can find a space, leave it there for as long as you like! Going away for a few days or weeks without your car? Leave it on 6th Street! The cops won't notice, and it will still be there, unticketed and untowed, when you return.

The green pickup truck in the picture has been parked on 6th Street in the space closest to Prospect Street since September of last year. For seven fucking months it has been there unticketed, something no one can get away with a few feet away on Prospect Street. Before that, it was parked one space ahead, on the other side of the fire hydrant, for at least ten months before a Hudson cop made the owner move it because it had spilled so much engine oil on the street. The owner told former officer Luis Martinez that he was "waiting for a part" to repair his truck. Neither Rob Perry, Kamal Johnson nor Mishanda Franklin has a reasonable answer as to why this unwelcome situation is tolerated on North 6th. Of course, they probably see no problem there to begin with. The mayor's aide recently told me that Rob and Mishanda both told him that the lack of the overnight parking rule on North 6th has "always been that way," as if that were a helpful response to get something solved that makes absolutely no sense.

The long, wide and enormous box truck with commercial plates -- nearly five feet longer and two feet wider than a typical car -- has been parked in the same spot unmoved for at least 4 months, making the street even narrower and more dangerous. No tickets, no danger, no tow, no problem -- 24/7/365. Both of these vehicles are associated with the unlicensed car repair business found in the driveway, the street and on the sidewalk at the end of Prospect Street in a residential neighborhood.

Notice the oil stains from previous work
in a parking space on Prospect Street!

Don't you wish that you never had to worry about an overnight parking rule on your street? Oh, if we could all be so fortunate as those residents on North 6th Street! To have derelict vehicles and enormous commercial trucks parked unmoved and unticketed for months and years in every neighborhood taking up precious parking spaces while the Common Council debates what to do about a quickly developing city quickly running out of parking spaces! Trucks so large they block nearly the entire view of a house! Streets full of untouched debris at all times, all of it eventually clogging our precious sewer system! Snow that only goes away when it melts! Streets full of oil stains! Isn't that the way it should be for us all?