If you were one of the hundreds of motorists stuck in, through and beyond Tarrytown on Route 9 during the early morning rush hour on Friday, February 11th, you have no one to blame! It seems that no one at Village Hall will accept responsibility for the Department of Public Works “setting up house” on the northbound side of Route 9 between McKeel Avenue and Wildey Street to clear snow from the sidewalks and curbside.
The cacophony of car and truck horns told everyone unfortunate to have been a part of the mess that something was indeed wrong. Over a dozen DPW workers along with a mixture of dump trucks, front-end loaders as well as both big and small pickup trucks, pushed, shoveled and loaded snow for removal. One was heard to yell to a co-worker, “This is a bad idea. It’s not the right time to do this.” Another was heard to yell at a confused motorist, “Hey, that’s not the right lane, go over there!” The motorist, with her window up in 9 degree weather, proceeded to drive in the lane where the big machinery was being operated. School busses heading north were directed to travel into the southbound lane of Route 9 and into oncoming traffic that was trying to make it through the blockade. All in all, it was a mess of major proportions, and the timing of it during the morning commute stoked everyone’s anger.
This publication called Village Hall and learned that a general order has been given to clear streets and sidewalks, but that the man responsible for that order was in Florida. Oh, the irony of life! In speaking with another administrator, he too did not know why the DPW was clearing the sidewalk during rush hour on Broadway. We did not call the Police Department, which was noticeably absent for any traffic direction. Witnessing the traffic snarl, there wasn’t much the police could have done anyway. Hard to move hundreds of cars stacked up in every direction that a compass points to.
If winter municipal awards were to be given, the Village of Tarrytown would receive the, “Often in Error… Never in Doubt,” award for their hot performance on a very, very cold day in February.
