vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #554 / Opinion / Reading article...

I was born and raised in Alaska, and the thought of snow sweeps in childhood memories such as ski lifts, snowmen, and warm winter lodges. After this last week’s extreme snowfall in Vladivostok, occurring near the end of an unseasonably temperate winter, my mind turns instead to the climactic phenomena surrounding global warming and the problems of properly clearing or de-icing Vladivostok’s streets.

Svetlanskaya Street, Central Square, Golden Horn bay: the truth is that no city looks more beautiful than a city beneath a blanket of snow, and Vladivostok is an exemplar of this virtue. After the storm the city stood suddenly magical, fresh and alive. But watch your step as you enjoy the beauty, if you don’t get run over by a car that could not stop on the ice, you may slip and break your leg all by yourself.

While a few slippery mishaps, along with blocked traffic and accidents are to be expected in any city of the world that experiences a winter such as here in the Russian Far East what is frustrating is the lack of even the most basic methods for increasing vehicle safety after a storm.

After sliding across the central road of Okeansky Prospekt and onto my bus, and as that bus spent the next fifteen minutes spinning its wheels trying to get moving, I felt the overwhelming urge to scream out into the drifting snowflakes “Lay down sand!”

Public transportation aside, and taking into account the dozens of cars stuck in various awkward positions blocking traffic, the accidents, and the numerous little grandmothers that can be seen sliding and plummeting onto their purses, one might begin to consider the warming trends caused by increased carbon emissions almost a good thing.

In reality the basic methods of plowing, sanding and the use of de-icing or anti-icing chemicals, along with the prioritization of roadways to be treated could help residents safely enjoy the beauty. Beauty always has its dangerous qualities, and the beauty of Vladivostok painted in frost is no exception.