Commuters get a helping hand

The squeal of tires was only matched by the intensity of concern and consternation on dozens of drivers faces around Colorado Springs.

Afternoon commuters on East Platte Ave struggled to get past the intersection with North Chelton Rd.

“Crazy! Real crazy!” said Keith Aiello.

Aiello was on his way to pick up his wife at the Citadel Mall when he saw car after car not being able to move. So he ran out and pushed them up the hill…dozens of cars.

Josh Molonaar and James Kenfield had the same idea.

“It’s slick to say the least, cars stuck left and right,” Molonaar said.

“Can’t think of any other way to help out right now,” Kenfield said.

The three good Samaritans helped keep traffic moving.

With over 7400 miles of road to cover within the city’s 194 square miles, it took time for the city streets division to catch up with Mother Nature. But division manager Corey Farkas says residents will notice a change from past years.

“Unlike in the past, we’ve implemented an anti-icing program,” Farkas said. “That helps break the bond between the snow and the asphault.”

Farkas says it will help give snow plows more time in their struggle to keep roads clear.

Farkas has also implemented a more flexible approach compared to the past. Under his new system, top priority includes not only primary routes like Academy Blvd, but emergency routes as well in front of police and fire stations as well as schools and hospitals.

Farkas says his division is trying to identify “hot spots” in residential neighborhoods that will be targeted by snow plows after primary routes. In the past, residential streets would not be plowed unless there had been at least six inches or more of snow.

“We feel right now that some of the new changes we’re doing are working and we’re going in the right direction,” Farkas said.