I have been watching as less road treatments and slower plowing has affected Minnesota roads. It seems like there were days , especially near the end of the year, where the roads seemed a lot worse than they should have been.
I found of interest a recent St Cloud Times article that covered some towns having to make tough economic choices. So the plan has been to let a little more snow stack up and maybe not plow on certain nights. That is a scary choice being made, because other than for safety, why would you ever plow?
Look at what happens in Southern states when a blizzard hits. They get shut down for days. Minnesota has prided itself on they way we have endured and handled our snows. But, if we start making these dangerous choices, it may not be long before we are shutting down schools for days or picking more dead bodies out of the ditches.
It’s a choice that is coming down to cost-benefit analysis on people lives. Hopefully, those who care will not let it happen.
