Let’s start with the fairest sentence in this whole discussion: this storm was not normal. The ice was relentless, the cold turned every ridge into a curb, and “just scrape it off” was not an option. That, and the fact that Mayor Littmann was dealing with a budget from the prior administration (likely light on snow removal), are the only reasons the City’s efforts earn a C.
Without those, this would have been a solid D or, quite honestly, flirting with an F.
While weather explains some of what happened, it does not explain the planning gaps, the avoidable hazards, and the way the City’s own priorities often seemed optional — especially on emergency routes and at intersections.
Communication Was Strong, But Execution Was Not
To the City’s credit, communication during this storm was outstanding. The social posts, emails, and alerts were frequent, clear, and genuinely helpful. Residents knew what the City was saying, what it was attempting, and what it wanted from the public. That matters.
But strong messaging cannot cover for weak outcomes. It’s one thing to explain how hard the work is. It’s another thing to repeatedly create preventable chokepoints and then ask drivers to improvise their way around them for days.
And yes, it was hard not to notice that most elected officials managed to get their required photo-ops in. That’s politics. Fine. But photo evidence of effort isn’t the same as a street network that functions.
If Snow Emergency Routes Matter, They Have To Be Treated Like They Matter
A basic question remains unanswered: What is the purpose of an emergency snow route if the City is not going to truly prioritize it?
Baltimore is not perfect, but it did one thing right in advance of the storm: it tagged cars parked on snow routes, warning they needed to move. That’s proactive enforcement designed to make plowing possible.
Annapolis has declared routes, but has done nothing to ensure that they are plowable. With many cars remaining parked, residents saw those routes become narrowed, obstructed, or left in compromised conditions that lingered far too long. If emergency routes are going to exist, they should be treated as mission-critical corridors. If the City is not prepared to enforce and clear them accordingly, then stop calling them “emergency” routes and be honest about what residents should expect.
Intersections Should Be Priority 1, Every Time
In normal weather, the highest risk of a crash is at an intersection. In winter weather, that risk only climbs. That is why storm recovery has to treat intersections as the top operational priority — not an item on a checklist.
But Annapolis repeatedly allowed intersections to become the very places where serious hazards were created or prolonged by plowing decisions.
Georgetown Road At Bay Ridge Road
Georgetown Road is an emergency snow route. It was plowed with a single pass, and instead of pushing snow toward an area where there was room to stack it safely, the City left a roughly 6-foot mound of snow — then ice — in the left turn lane at Bay Ridge Road. That effectively turned the intersection into a right-turn-only situation.
That mound remained for 5 days.
That is not an “ice storm problem.” That is a prioritization and planning problem.
Bay Ridge Avenue At Forest Drive
At Bay Ridge and Forest, there are 2 left-turn lanes and 1 combination right/straight lane. When the right/straight lane remains unplowed, the intersection stops functioning the way it is designed to function. Drivers are forced into awkward, unsafe choices, and confusion increases exactly where clarity matters most.
Forest Drive Turning Onto Hilltop Lane
At Forest (inbound) and Hilltop, the County had the intersection cleared. But once the two left lanes of traffic turn onto Hilltop, it immediately collapses into a single lane, creating a bottleneck and a hazard. And at the same intersection, the right-turn lane from Forest Drive outbound to Hilltop was never plowed, preventing any traffic from turning right onto Hilltop from Forest.
Bay Ridge Avenue at Tyler Avenue
Again, the entire right/through lane is blocked with snow and ice as you head into downtown Annapolis, forcing drivers into the left-only lane. This causes confusion and frustration for those looking to turn left and confusion to opposing traffic when oncoming traffic appears to be misaligned.
Bay Ridge Avenue
Bay Ridge Avenue in Eastport is also a snow emergency route, and presumably, the cars that normally park along this one-way street (with parking on both sides) found other homes during the storm will need to find alternate parking because a full week after the snow, all that remains is a marginally 1-car-wide path. Again, if it is an emergency route, treat it like one.
Duke of Gloucester and Compromise
Coming down Duke of Gloucester, approaching Compromise, the left lane is entirely blocked. Granted, only people from out of the area attempt a left turn at the foot of the Eastport Bridge, but the large pile of ice obstructing the view of those turning right onto the bridge is a hazard, as they are unable to see oncoming traffic on Compromise Street.
These are not small inconveniences. They are the kinds of predictable failures that create congestion, conflict points, and significant crash risk.
There are examples like this all over the City. That’s why the story isn’t one bad mound or one missed lane — it’s the pattern.
A People Plan Is Missing
Snow response is not only about plows. It is also about what a City does for residents who cannot simply “wait it out.”
Baltimore again offers an idea worth stealing: a list of volunteers who can be dispatched to transport seniors or residents with disabilities to appointments or grocery stores, and programs that mobilize youth to help shovel out those who cannot do it themselves.
Why can’t Annapolis build a similar program by partnering with schools, service organizations, faith groups, and youth programs? A coordinated volunteer roster, activated during emergencies, is not complicated. It’s leadership. It’s resilience. And it’s exactly what people mean when they say they want government to work.
Parking And Shoveling Felt Like It Was About Money
The City made some very nice gestures, but the tone and follow-through often carried an undertone that felt more about revenue and enforcement than about reality on the ground.
Free garage parking was a nice move. But asking residents who used it to leave those garages and relocate to Park Place — then pay a “special rate” of $5 per day — was a bit much when many streets still weren’t plowed and there was no safe, legal place to park. That isn’t a convenience fee. In practice, it can feel like a penalty for doing what the City encouraged people to do.
Same with shoveling enforcement. Waiving the City’s ludicrous sidewalk clearing policy was also a welcome step. But the messaging of “waived for now, and then we will be enforcing it” came off as tone-deaf while sidewalks were literally sheets of ice and the City itself was still struggling to clear key corridors and the sidewalks for which it is actually responsible. People heard the warning loud and clear — even if the conditions made compliance unrealistic. On Sunday, the City sent out an alert that enforcement for residential sidewalks will begin on Monday, February 2nd. Unrelated, but anecdotally amusing: I saw someone trying to clear their sidewalk this morning with a power chisel-the clock is ticking.
Terrapin Station And The “Not Our Road” Problem
Then there is Terrapin Station, the small community next to the police department with a single cul-de-sac. Residents called to ask about plowing and were told the City wouldn’t plow because it was still a private road and had not yet been turned over by the developer.
Maybe that is technically correct. But it highlights a deeper issue: the City’s process is inconsistent and its customer-service instincts are weak.
In the fall, residents asked the City about the requirements for installing a basketball hoop and received no response on multiple occasions. Once it was installed, the City suddenly had an interest. So the City cared about the road in the fall, yet when it comes to a basic municipal service, the homeowners are on their own? And yes, they hired a private contractor to plow their street
The President of the HOA brought up a good point: if Terrapion Station is paying the same tax rate as everyone else, they are justified in asking why they are receiving less service.
What Needs To Change Before The Next Storm
This grade can improve. But only if the City treats this storm as a hard lesson and makes real changes.
* Enforce snow emergency routes before storms arrive.
* Treat intersections as Priority 1, not an afterthought.
* Stop creating choke points by leaving turn lanes and approaches compromised.
* Build a volunteer support system for seniors and residents with disabilities.
* Fix the tone and policy around parking and shoveling so it reflects reality, not just compliance and revenue.
This storm had ice. That is why the City gets a C instead of a failing grade. But if Annapolis wants to keep residents safe — and keep its promises — future storms cannot be managed with press releases, photo-ops, and “in progress” timelines alone.
The streets have to work. Especially where the risk is highest.
And as a postscript, just after finishing this editorial, I received an email from an Alderperson praising the City’s response and reminding me that “the city aims to make streets passable, not cleared to bare pavement, which damages roadways and can be more dangerous. ” If true, perhaps we should be budgeting to buy more snow-you know, to keep the roads safer and in better condition.
