Winter walking aids

I don't normally use a cane but I have started using one to help me in snowy conditions  These photos were taken in downtown Erie during the Thanksgiving storm of 2024. I am just telling you how it worked for me, everyone is different, and you need to judge for yourself if this makes sense.  

I found I could use the cane to reach across large mounds of snow to push the crossing signal. This mound in front of the Post Office was way to big to reach across, and would have required that I crawl across a little, but with the cane I was able to easily reach it. 

Bus shelter was cleared but getting there was a little shaky so this provided added stability. 

Helps with this situation too. 

Regarding ice, I usually use ice traction devices on my boots if the ice is terribly slippery but sometimes the cane can be enough if it is not too bad. Again, that's just me. Just be careful out there. 

STORM

 Public comments: Thoughts and  suggestions on handling mega storms in future from Erie City Council meeting 12-18-2024:  Freda 11:05, Devin  1:20:24, Matt 1:23:37, Marty 1;36:01, Paige 1:40:22, Katie (1:47:24). Also, former Erie city councilman Michael Keys made recommendations immediately after Buffalo's 2022 storm.

A month's worth of EMTA email rider alerts

I have been trying out the EMTA email rider alerts that you can sign up for in MyStop. 

The alerts are the same as those posted on the MyStop site, except they come to your email.

There is a text option but it was not working in the three times I signed up. I'm not sure what the problem is, but if it is available, EMTA needs to activate it, since a lot of riders would find it more useful than the emails.

I tried it out in three different email accounts. The screenshot below was from an account I signed up for January 26, 2023, and I stopped it at February 26. As far as I can I received them all, though it seemed like there was a curious gap for a couple weeks, maybe everything was running smoothly. 

Delivery issues

Alerts coming to each of the three email accounts had delivery issues. Outlook and Gmail sometimes delivered the alerts to another file. Yahoo Mail is still posting every single alert at 12:00 AM. ... every single one. None of them ended up in Spam so far. Again, having the text alert option might eliminate this goofiness.

Another advantage to alerts delivered to your device

Having an alert delivered to your device gives you a record of an issue that might have caused you a problem with getting somewhere. Your employer, instructor, doctor, etc., might accept your excuse a little more readily if you show them the alert that made you late. The alerts on the MyStop page disappear as soon as they are over, but you have the alert as a record. 

Click here for instructions on how to sign up for alerts

Click to enlarge  

GREYHOUND TO OPEN TEMPORARILY

 With an extreme storm headed our way, EMTA and the county have made arrangements to open the  Greyhound terminal temporarily. The county will provide security while it is open.

Greyhound's new management shut down the terminal earlier this year and since they are still paying on the lease EMTA (which owns the property) has been unable to access the lobby. 

Below is the press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Chris Carroll December 22, 2022 Phone: (814) -860-0794 Email: ccarroll@eriecountypa.gov

 

ERIE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND EMTA STRIKE DEAL TO TEMPORARILY REOPEN GREYHOUND BUS TICKET OFFICE 

ERIE, PA – Erie County Executive Brenton Davis and EMTA CEO Jeremy Peterson have reached an agreement that will temporarily reopen the Greyhound bus ticket office.

 Ahead of the winter storms and the holiday season, neither the County nor EMTA wanted to see anyone stuck out in inclement weather waiting for a bus. The County has offered to lend its security service from the Blasco Memorial Library to provide regular security patrols during business hours. 

Greyhound's local office has remained locked and closed because Greyhound no longer has a ticket agent in the office. Greyhound Lines is currently a tenant in the Intermodal Transportation Center.

 “This is something we needed to get done. We simply cannot have our residents sitting outside in below freezing temperatures with no access to facilities. I commend EMTA for their efforts in helping to solve this problem,” said Erie County Executive Brenton Davis. 

“Due to the unfortunate condition that Greyhound has left us, EMTA and Erie County Executive Davis have collaborated on an idea that will help Greyhound customers utilize the existing Greyhound station and it’s facility starting Friday morning. Facility hours will be announced today,” said EMTA CEO Jeremy Peterson. 

The agreement is currently only temporary and there is no timeframe as to how long this will last. Talks are still ongoing about how to solve this problem permanently.

 Any questions regarding the material in the release can be directed to Chris Carroll at ccarroll@eriecoutypa.gov or Sarah Morrison at smorrison@ride-the-e.com

Ice walkers keep you upright

This winter has seen some really nasty ice. Glad I have my ice walkers. I highly recommend them for people who want to stay upright when the going gets slippery.
WalMart carries them, as does Dick's, Eddie Bauer and Target. I can't tell you who has them in stock at any given time.
Some find the ice walkers to be inconvenient, but getting injured in a fall is beyond inconvenient. Once while hurrying to catch the bus to work, I slipped on ice and broke my right thumb. I needed to wear a cast from my thumb to my forearm. I worked in a machine shop and was able to adapt in a clunky way, but it was rough. Nowadays I gladly take the "inconvenience" of avoiding slamming into the ice.
If you want to get them online, look under keywords: ice walkers. They are called a number of different things (e.g., grippers, yaktrax, ice cleats) but "ice walkers" will probably get you the best search results.
Also check out Helpful Hints for Walking on Snow and Ice.

For illustration only. Left, Due North Everyday Traction. Right, Yaktrax® Walk