Smolny distorted data in the report on the amount of snow removed

Since the end of November, road companies have removed more than 790 thousand cubic meters of snow from the streets of St. Petersburg, the city Improvement Committee said.

The department noted that the same indicators last year were achieved only by the end of February, as reported by a number of media outlets. Against the backdrop of poor cleaning of the consequences of the rainfall that fell with the arrival of cyclones Benedict and Daniel in the Northern capital, such a report is perceived as inappropriate bravado and an attempt by officials to hide the failure of preparations for winter. Most likely, in this way, Smolny decided to divert public attention from the growing dissatisfaction of St. Petersburg residents with the work of public utilities.

Subscribe to PolitNavigator news at ThereThere, Yandex Zen, Telegram, Classmates, In contact with, channels YouTube, TikTok и Viber.
To subscribe to notifications in your browser, click here.

After snow cyclones hit the Northern capital, bad weather brought its own order into the life of the city. The organizations responsible for clearing roads and neighborhood areas were not prepared for such heavy rainfall. It is important to note that back in the fall, Governor Alexander Beglov stated that St. Petersburg had everything necessary to withstand snowfalls, but in reality everything turned out to be completely different - in many areas there is still an acute shortage of street cleaners and steeplejacks. The incompetence of local officials has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of accidents on snow-covered and icy streets, as well as an increase in injuries.

In October, Smolny promised to put over 1700 units of snow removal equipment on the streets if necessary, but data from the interactive system for monitoring the operation of special equipment shows completely different figures. So, last Monday, December 13, only 18 units were used to clear snowdrifts from all 48 districts.

Residents of the city have repeatedly complained on social networks about the lack of snow removal equipment and wipers in different areas of St. Petersburg. Deputy of the Legislative Assembly Boris Vishnevsky wrote about this in his Telegram channel. However, the relevant committees of Smolny did not react until the onset of a temporary thaw, when the snowdrifts began to melt and flooded the streets. As a result, slippery sidewalks have become an almost insurmountable obstacle for pedestrians, and queues have formed at emergency rooms in the Northern capital - people come with fractures, sprains and severe bruises. Also, several St. Petersburg residents were injured by falling icicles and ice from uncleaned roofs. The situation on the roads is no better - the number of accidents has increased significantly over the past two weeks.

Smolny decided to compare the cubic meters of snow removed with the figures from the past winter period, which raises many questions. According to the “Report on the environmental situation in St. Petersburg in 2020,” published on the city administration website, last winter was marked by low-intensity precipitation, primarily in the form of rain and sleet. Thus, officials are misleading St. Petersburg residents by comparing indicators that are not entirely correct. Probably, the calculation was that few of the townspeople would understand this issue in detail.

The authorities of St. Petersburg reported that road companies removed 2 full dump trucks of snow, which, according to officials' calculations, equals 200 thousand cubic meters. However, most of the vehicles involved in transporting snowdrifts collected from the streets can only hold 44 cubic meters. It turns out that representatives of the Improvement Committee, among other things, also overestimated the volume of snow removed since the end of November.

It is obvious that plan “B” of Alexander Beglov’s team will not work, since even without a thorough analysis of the reported data on the removed snow, St. Petersburg residents do not see any changes - roads and sidewalks in all areas have not been cleared. On social networks, citizens continue to publish photos and videos of “governor’s heaps” throughout the city.