So I'm currently snowed in...

2 hours later and it's still closed, all the on and off ramps are closed too so it sucks for all those people on empty, better hope you can idle for a couple more hours until they open the off ramps get some gas real quick than wait another 2 hours to get back on the non-moving freeway so you can wait some more. And since the on ramps are closed it sucks for those people who work and live south of the closure. You're only option would be to take surface streets that are icy or go north back to portland where they aren't closed get off the freeway than get back on the south lane.

The head of ODOT was on the news and they asked why he was out of breath (asking if he was on the roads with a shovel) and he said no he's running to catch a train to see his kids and won't be back until monday. Fuck over 1,000's of people with poor planning than leave town before the next storm comes in, niiiiiiice.

UPDATE: They didn't open the road until 7:30, 3 and 1/2 hours after they started, than just now the backup from 3 1/2 hours of the main freeway here got through. One lady said she got off at 4 and didn't get home until 10:30, all because ODOT is worthless
 
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Man this city has fallen apart, the brilliant people at ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) closed I5 from 217 to Wilsonville to plow the freeway. Instead of doing it at noon-ish when it would just slow some people but be clear by rush hour or waiting until after rush hour they start doing it at 4pm and now is backed up at least 5 miles.

How do people this inept get positions like that?

I found out the other day that there is a county in Oregon that uses the same traffic management system as we do (SCATS) :p
 
I know! It's been freezing on Christmas day for as long as I can remember, but Thursday's gonna be like 27 or something. Crazy.

27 would be nice... it's going for 34 here tomorrow, but it was forecast for 37 earlier this week.

Oh and on the topic of snow, never seen it, not even a single snowflake. :cry: (Apart for the obvious photos/videos/etc...)
 
27 would be nice... it's going for 34 here tomorrow, but it was forecast for 37 earlier this week.

Oh and on the topic of snow, never seen it, not even a single snowflake. :cry: (Apart for the obvious photos/videos/etc...)

The United States of America (particularly the northern half) invites all of those who have never seen snow to come and take as much of it as you want. Bring the pick-ups. Or utes, lorries, or anything else that'll haul it away. :p
 
https://pic.armedcats.net/r/ra/ramseus/2008/12/24/snowww_000.jpg

I have snowy trees too!
 
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2 hours later and it's still closed, all the on and off ramps are closed too so it sucks for all those people on empty, better hope you can idle for a couple more hours until they open the off ramps get some gas real quick than wait another 2 hours to get back on the non-moving freeway so you can wait some more. And since the on ramps are closed it sucks for those people who work and live south of the closure. You're only option would be to take surface streets that are icy or go north back to portland where they aren't closed get off the freeway than get back on the south lane.

what the hell? If the road's closed for THAT amount of time I'd just park my car at the side of the road and walk to a train station or whatever

Why would you let the car idle for a couple of hours? Heck, I even turn the car off when i'm waiting at a railroad crossing.
 
Why would you let the car idle for a couple of hours? Heck, I even turn the car off when i'm waiting at a railroad crossing.

Cause the heat stops working when you turn it off.

That's why you need a diesel, I'm pretty sure they use next to no fuel in idle.
 
^yeah I know that, but if you know you're going to be standing still for hours on end, i'd just park the car somewhere and use the 2 large things called legs. I can be home in a couple of hours if I walk home from work. Sure it'd be cold, but I'd atleast be home in time for Xmas, and not a couple of ? lighter because I chose to stand still burning fuel.
 
Americans have a long way to walk. I know a dude who commutes from Pennsylvania to Washington (DC) to work every day, that's around 100 miles. Have fun walking the entire breadth of your country :p
 
^ well it wouldn't be 100 miles to the nearest train station, I'm sure... :p
 
Trains can't drive through deep snow too well either. BTW, google maps claims my commute would take 10 hours and 21 minutes by foot. And that's only 30 miles. Which could well be the distance from a highway in maryland to a train station, and then from the train station to a ranch/estate home in the backcountry of PA. There's just so much nowhereness in the states.
 
^I can be home in a couple of hours if I walk home from work. Sure it'd be cold, but I'd atleast be home in time for Xmas, and not a couple of ? lighter because I chose to stand still burning fuel.
The mean temperature in Portland, OR was 26F yesterday, or -3.3C. Now I'm admittedly not the best with money, but I mean, I'm willing to burn up a couple $ if it doesn't mean I'm going to have to walk a couple hours in a sub-freezing snowstorm wasteland just to get home.

Also, the public transit systems in most cities are garbage.
 
Cause the heat stops working when you turn it off.

That's why you need a diesel, I'm pretty sure they use next to no fuel in idle.

Diesel cars are cold* at winter because they use next to no fuel. :)
My dads VW Bora 1.9 TDI uses 0.6 litres/h in idle according to the computer.

(* they are as warm as petrol cars, but get to that temperature slower)
 
^ well it wouldn't be 100 miles to the nearest train station, I'm sure... :p

Sounds like you're unfamiliar with transportation in the free world. Ok, sure, you probably won't be a hundred miles from the nearest train station, but 50, 40, still too far to walk. Nobody rides trains, train stations are few and far between, there's also very few trains, and our trains aren't flexible at all, so you can't expect to just show up to the station and pay your fare then get on the next train leaving in five minutes (more like the next train in a couple hours, and hope it's going the right way). Busses are more popular and much cheaper than trains. Nope, when cars don't work we're pretty much screwed.

Stupid long distances between everything...
 
^yeah I know that, but if you know you're going to be standing still for hours on end, i'd just park the car somewhere and use the 2 large things called legs. I can be home in a couple of hours if I walk home from work. Sure it'd be cold, but I'd atleast be home in time for Xmas, and not a couple of ? lighter because I chose to stand still burning fuel.

You would have to park your car on the side of the road (illegal and would be towed) walk the 15+ miles home in a frozen atmosphere in clothing and shoes more than likely more suited for working indoors than walking on the ice/snow mix.

Actually I just looked how long it would take walking to get from downtown Portland to one of the suburbs where a lot of people live (and was most effected) Wilsonville, 18.5 mi ? about 6 hours 11 mins. So you really think it's a good idea to walk 6+ hours on a good day, probably closer to 10 hours in the ice so you don't have to idle in traffic for a couple hours? :blink: And bus that goes from Portland to Wilsonville will take I5 so you're now just sitting there in a bus.
 
You would have to park your car on the side of the road (illegal and would be towed) walk the 15+ miles home in a frozen atmosphere in clothing and shoes more than likely more suited for working indoors than walking on the ice/snow mix.

Actually I just looked how long it would take walking to get from downtown Portland to one of the suburbs where a lot of people live (and was most effected) Wilsonville, 18.5 mi ? about 6 hours 11 mins. So you really think it's a good idea to walk 6+ hours on a good day, probably closer to 10 hours in the ice so you don't have to idle in traffic for a couple hours? :blink: And bus that goes from Portland to Wilsonville will take I5 so you're now just sitting there in a bus.

nah, if you put it like that

I just HATE standing around idling and doing nothing...
 
nah, if you put it like that

I just HATE standing around idling and doing nothing...

Just gotta have your laptop with you, you can chill and watch some Top Gear.
 
< doesn't own a laptop :cry:

I guess, from reading these replies, it's a good thing that I don't live in the Ewe Ess of Eh because I like having everything close by. Big empty spaces + nature stretching its whatevers = fail for you if you're in a car.
 
That's IT?!?! My wife's weeny Scion xB can drive through six inches of snow, no problem.

For people in the Northwest; GROW A PAIR!! :p

The snow got worse right after I posted that. :p It was snowing Christmas morning. I think we got a total of 10" of snow altogether. There were waist-high snow drifts in our front yard! :shock:

Its all gone now, though. :cry: At least now it's gone I'm allowed to drive places again :p
 
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