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Commuters change their plans to accomodate snowy weather

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Photo by Bill Olmsted

Janesville's Jean Wilson is better prepared for winter driving emergencies than most. Her Verona job as a hospice nurse, and needing to care for her boarded horses, means that Wilson's trunk is always full of things that would help in a winter emergency.

JANESVILLE — Jean Wilson doesn't enjoy driving in the snow, but she's prepared for it.

The Janesville woman keeps a change of clothes, toiletries and an emergency kit in her car in case she's stranded at her Verona job or on the way home late at night.

She has friends and relatives she can stay with in the Madison area, alternate routes to take to and from work and a four-wheel-drive truck she can drive when the roads are bad.

"I've always been pretty adventurous," she said. "The roads really don't scare me."

Authorities tell people to stay off the roads during bad weather, but some people don't have the luxury of skipping work.

After Janesville broke a record for winter snowfall in 2007-08 and the record for monthly snowfall in December 2008, people who work out of town have learned to make emergency plans and alternate arrangements.

The good news is, Janesville drivers won't necessarily be dealing with the snowy weather every year—or even the rest of this winter, a UW-Madison expert said.

Just because Janesville had a snowy December doesn't mean it will have a snowy January and February, said professor Jonathan Martin, chairman of the atmospheric and oceanic sciences department.

"Last year's winter was so unusual in the persistent nature of storm traffic going right over us," Martin said. "You could never have expected that to happen."

Some experts have said climate change will cause more extreme weather in coming years, but it's too soon to tie last year's winter to global warming, Martin said.

"To pin that on global climate change is very tenuous," he said.

Still, Janesville residents are preparing for the next storm.

Sandra Berger worked out a deal with her Madison employer that she can work from home when the weather is bad.

Berger, a paralegal, has a "virtual desk" on her home computer that lets her do many tasks she does at work.

"It is (a relief), but it's also a tough determination that you're not abusing it," she said.

Berger worked from home a couple of times last year and has done it three times so far this winter, she said. But she feels bad for people inside and outside her company who can't work from home.

"It's difficult for people who do make the drive in, too, to think of people having the luxury of working from home," she said.

Dawn Stomski doesn't have that option. She got a part-time job at the Janesville Mall in 2007 and hates driving in the snow from and to her Center Township home.

"I'm deathly afraid to drive in the snow, but it's even worse when the plowing is bad," she said.

She missed work Dec. 19 because she didn't think she'd make it through the storm.

"I know how impossible it would be to get out there into town," she said.

Stomski said she does the only thing she can do when the weather is bad: Drive carefully. She allows more time and drives slower, she said.

"There's no other way you can really go," she said.

BAD WEATHER DRIVING

If you have to drive in bad conditions, here are some tips from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation:

-- Dial 511, the state's new traffic line, or visit www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/index.htm to check on the latest road conditions. Dial 911 only for emergency situations.

-- Make sure your gas tank is full and you have food, blankets and warm clothes in the vehicle in case of emergency. If you have a cell phone, make sure it's fully charged and working.

-- Tell others about your travel route and schedule so they can call police and tell them where to look if you don't arrive at your destination.

Keep others informed if you're going to be late so they don't worry needlessly.

-- If possible, travel with passengers and convoy with other vehicles.

-- Remember, the speed limit is based on clear roads and dry pavement. Don't drive too fast for conditions.

-- Watch for slippery spots on bridges and overpasses.

-- Take note of mileposts, exit numbers or crossroads in case you crash or slide off the road so you can tell police and tow truck operators where to find you.

-- If the storm makes driving too hazardous or your car breaks down, stay in the vehicle. Run your engine and heater for short intervals to stay warm. Be sure to crack the window to avoid carbon monoxide build-up.