I was told you have all of the information about what city residents should do about parking cars, shoveling sidewalks etc... While we aren't consumers, just trying to figure out if the garages are still open past 9 am today and where to go and park before the next storm... PLEASE HELP!
You are the go to guy at this paper.
The Baltimore Parking Authority has made city-owned garages available to drivers Tuesday who are trying to avoid snow emergency routes, said Adrienne Barnes, a city transportation spokeswoman. It may be extended through the end of the week.
Certain school parking lots and the paved roads inside Patterson Park are also free for city residents. Addresses of the available sites are posted at www.396snow.com, which warns that the Caroline St. Garage is not an option after Tuesday morning. Here's a map of the parking areas to residents who need to move their cars from snow emergency routes.
Barnes said the city entered Phase II of its snow emergency plan on Friday afternoon. "This is now Tuesday," she said. "If those vehicles haven't been moved, we've given enough courtesy."
It's not clear how long these parking lots will be available --- or whether they will be necessary, she said. "We don't know what condition we're going to be in on Wednesday or Thursday," Barnes said. "A lot of things are contingent on which way the weather goes."
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I was going to check out oh the places we can go, but Southwest's Web site seems to be down. It's either great traffic for the sale or - my bet - everyone who has a canceled or delayed flight checking their status. There's also this little tickle of not so good news out today about Southwest.
]]>In fact, after finishing the column and heading home, we shoveled snow away from all of our doors so when the inevitable melt comes, the water won’t seep into the house.
One tip that didn’t make the column for space reasons — and there was differing advice here — was whether to shake low-lying branches free of snow.
The Maryland Insurance Administration encourages homeowners to knock off snow on low branches if they can safely do so. But a colleague mentioned that he heard on TV that you should not shake branches. (I shook the limbs on Saturday without harm to tree or me.)
What steps are you taking to protect your house that can help others? I should say, what "safe" tips you can pass on. Not sure we want to advise putting a ladder on the roof to shovel of snow on the very tip top of the house.
]]>The Federal Trade Commission is set to revamp its guidelines for these environmental marketing claims, which have not been updated in more than a decade, according to a Greenwire article in the NYT (discovered via Consumerworld.org).
The vocabulary has changed a lot since then, to include terms like "carbon neutral" or "sustainable".
According to the article, the FTC has dinged a few companies for claims like ...
]]> ... paper plates labeled as biodegradable, but unlikely to biodegrade in most landfills, and bamboo clothes that are chemically transmogrified into rayon.
These cases exemplify the confusing debacle with environmental claims: consumers must often weigh what is the greater good.
For example, if you're having a party, is it better to buy compostable disposable cups and plates made out of corn, if you're not going to compost them? If you do, then it creates a market for these products.
Or, you could try reusable cups ... but then you're going to expend resources washing and storing them.
The Consumers Union has a campaign called GreenerChoices.org that can help you sort out some of these variables -- we told you about the site when considering labels on hormone-free milk or chicken (FYI, all chicken in the U.S. is hormone-free). One great piece of advice: don't pay more for a label without knowing what it means.
Airlines are issuing weather waivers and canceling flights into and out of BWI, within hours of the airport digging out runways and resuming normal operations. Beginning this afternoon, Southwest Airlines gets it started by canceling the majority of its afternoon/evening flights. Ditto for the Wednesday morning flights. AirTran warns of delays and cancellations. The good news - and the bad news - is that we're not in this alone. With the last storm, the delays were confined to a handful of airports. This storm looks to affect a more widespread area - more than a dozen airports are in the trouble zone. So look for systemwide havoc, from St. Louis to New York.
Blah, blah, blah. You know the drill. Call your airline before heading to the airport. Reschedule your flight. And don't plan on escaping the groundhog's shadow until Memorial Day.
American Airlines says it will start charging $8 for a pillow and blanket beginning in May. According to the Associated Press, only coach class citizens on domestic flights and some international flights lasting longer than two hours will be charged the fee. First class travelers will still get a blankie for free.
American Airlines says it’s an economic decision.
You have to wonder with airlines, what will be next?
]]>-- The city started towing vehicles late Saturday night. Since Friday it has relocated 230 cars as well as 25 that were abandoned on roadways or in intersections.
--- Drivers may be subject to both a ticket and towing fees if they leave their cars there. It could be as much as $238.
--- Baltimore has authorized its medallion towers to move vehicles from snow emergency routes.
--- Trying to find your car after it's been towed? Call 311.
--- You might not have to move your car very far. The snow routes are in effect for different 12-hour stretches on alternating sides of the street -- white signs designate 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and black signs are from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.
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The promotion, first advertised during the Super Bowl, will continue through Feb. 15, so you'll be able to enter daily. The company is giving away one thousand free pairs of pants.
The ship was packed with more than 2,200 passengers, said Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz. She gives all of the credit for the success of the departure to the Port of Baltimore. "Would not have been possible without a really extraordinary effort from the Maryland Port Administration," de la Cruz said Sunday.Port personnel worked 12-hour shifts clearing the snow from parking lots, walkways and the pier.
Carnival Cruise Lines began sailing year-round from Baltimore last spring. You can sail for 7 days to the Bahamas from about $649 per person. There's availability for the Feb. 21 cruise. If you want a vacation without the risk of your flight being canceled for bad weather, this seems a good bet.
Baltimore will tow cars parked on snow emergency routes, according to city officials.
Remember, Phase II of the snow emergency plan is in effect.
Drivers can park their cars for free in some school parking lots and in city-owned garages in Little Italy, Federal Hill, Fells Point and downtown Baltimore.
With temperatures in the 20s today though, digging out one's car does not seem like a pleasant pastime.
You are supposed to be able to call 311 to find out where your car might be if it is towed, but I'm checking to find out where the cars will be taken --- and how much it will cost to retrieve it.
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City officials have decided to initiate Phase II of its Snow Emergency Plan at 6 p.m. Friday. That means people have to move their cars from snow emergency routes.
But where to park? You'll be able to leave your car in a school parking lot in your neighborhood. Check out Baltimore's snow page, www.396snow.com, for details.
Tip: folks in Federal Hill, Fells Point and Little Italy can park in city-owned garages for free! Get there early, guys!
UPDATED, 10:19 p.m.: Looks like city-owned lots on Franklin Street and at Penn Station are available to city residents needing to move their cars from snow emergency routes, as well. Check www.396snow.com for details.
]]>Richard Scher, Maryland Port Administration spokesman, said the port planned to work 12-hour shifts to clear parking lots, walkways and piers of snow. He said "the key reminder is to allow extra travel time based on where [passengers] are coming from." Last time we had such a snowy forecast, Carnival delayed departure by several hours, but that may not be necessary. Scher said that with December's storm, the cruise line didn't end up having any more no-shows than usual.
Sail on.
]]>AirTran, like many other airlines, is offering weather waivers to any ticketholders who want to reschedule their travel. But is it better to give passengers advance notice so they can have time to rethink their plans? Or is it better to deliver the service you promised no matter the conditions? I think it's a gamble for AirTran. If they get everybody up and away, they win. But if travelers become stranded at the airport because of bad weather and late cancellations, they could lose. What do you think? On the other hand, did Southwest pull the trigger too early - or is it too early to say?
UPDATE: I spoke too soon, according to BWI's Web site, AirTran has cancelled most flights after 4 p.m., although a 6:45 p.m. flight to Cancun is still listed as "on time." I'm boarding that one.
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