Trust me, I was the most surprised to see SF Public Works director Mark Cotter defend snowgates, but it probably has more to do with job security then anything;
Also, Cotter received information last fall that snow gates could save time cleaning up intersections.
Typically, a sanding truck has to follow motor-graders to clean up the ridge of snow they leave behind in the intersections. The action includes a lot of backing up, which snow gates might eliminate, Cotter said.
But Mark is right. If you are concerned about saving money on fuel, it would seem this would be the place to start. But this quote from Street Manager Galynn Huber about snowgates really got my goat;
but he said it comes down to whether taxpayers are willing to pay extra.
Well, are taxpayers willing to pay extra for monkey crappers, flamingo sheds, Rhino barns, golf course clubhouses, wood and rock thingies, football fields, tennis court lockerooms, snow making machines . . . I could go on and on. I am amazed that public works is concerned about taxpayer money when cleaning snow from our streets and improving public safety but don’t think twice about installing a monkey toilet or buying Galynn a brand new super duty big ass gigantic truck that he doesn’t need.
The other thing that is blatant bullshit? Snowgates work if you use the right ones. All over Canada and the Northwest they can use them in up to 4 feet of snow. Google snowgates. There is tons of demonstration videos. Maybe the city council and Galynn Huber need to do a little Google research themselves. Of course, I wouldn’t want them to waste 30 minutes of their time.