Lynn council seeks to reduce snow-related car accidents

LYNN – City councilors say snow-clogged streets caused a spike in automobile accidents during January and they want to ensure the situation does not worsen.Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi, chairman of the Public Works Committee, said the problem could be eased through the purchase of a 10-wheel plow capable of widening the streets and allowing smaller plows to finish the job. Lozzi said the city should consider buying other heavy-duty snow-fighting equipment as well.Police Chief Kevin Coppinger on Tuesday confirmed for the committee there were 384 automobile crashes in Lynn in January, most of them attributed to hazardous conditions and impeded visibility.By comparison, the winter of 2008-2009 had 325 crashes in January, while the winter of 2009-2010 in Lynn had 326 crashes during the same month.Since winter began, 300 crashes were reported in December, 384 in January and 159 between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14. Coppinger said the total accidents for winter 2010-2011 stands at 843 as of Tuesday, marking an increase of 51 from the previous season.”Last winter, we had a jump in accidents in December because of the early storms. This season the numbers climbed in January,” said Coppinger.Coppinger said road conditions were responsible for the majority of the crashes.”Snowbanks and thin streets were the problem,” he said.In many instances, police cruisers, firetrucks and ambulances were unable to pass along streets where snow encroached on the pavement and private vehicles were parked on both sides.The city has since imposed a temporary restriction that allows parking only on the even-side of the street.”We tell our officers to exercise common sense judgment when responding to complaints,” said Coppinger. “We are not out there hunting for violators. Like everybody else, we’re waiting for spring.”Public Works Commissioner Jay Fink told the Public Works Committee the city has endured more than 75 inches of snow since the year began.”We are experiencing an extraordinary winter,” he said.Fink said the city’s entire snow-fighting fleet consists of 265 pieces of equipment.”This is assuming that all of the equipment is operational and the contractors report when called,” he said. “Of that, approximately 220 are pickups and small dump-type trucks, 25 larger trucks and 20 pieces of construction equipment.”Fink explained the larger trucks are positioned on the main streets and in the Highlands and on Pine Hill because of the steeper grades. The heavy equipment is scattered throughout the city to clear larger squares, difficult areas and dead-end streets.The public works commissioner said higher snow accumulations require larger trucks to push snow to the curb. Smaller trucks can open streets to traffic, but do not have the ability to push snow back farther than the edge of existing snowbanks, he said.Lozzi urged Public Works Committee members to consider purchasing additional large trucks that can simultaneously clear a path and widen the street.”Buying one of these big trucks means we could eliminate three of the smaller, private-contractor plows and save money,” he said.Fink said the private contractors with small trucks and plows earn between $63 and $69 an hour during storms.Ward 2 Councilor William Trahant Jr., a committee member, agreed with Lozzi. “It’s something we have to seriously consider,” he said.Fink said most of the city snow-plowing fleet is nearing the end of its expected lifespan.”Heavier snowfalls or storms of longer duration strain the equipment and can result in breakdowns,” he said. “Equipment in this line of work will usually last approximately 10 years before breakdowns and repairs dictate replacement.”Eight trucks were purchased by the Public Works Department (DPW) during the winter of 2006-2007. “Other trucks are considerably older and subject to breakdown,” Fink said. “The only large piece of equipment that is less than 10 years old is a loader that was purchased in 2005.”Approximately 75 percent of DPW equipment is more than