It’s a decision that hasn’t been made in decades: cars banned from all roads in Massachusetts. Gov. Deval Patrick just made the announcement at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency underground command center in Framingham.
All nonemergency vehicle travel has been banned until Saturday afternoon. There hasn’t been a driving ban in Massachusetts since after the Blizzard of 1978. If you’re caught driving, you face up to a year in prison and a $500 fine.
There will be No toll collection after 2 p.m., and no MBTA service after 3:30.
“We expect on account of the wind and the amount of snow for the drifts to be as high as 5 feet,” said Gov. Deval Patrick, who issued the executive order this afternoon. “There will be obstacles that are unknowable and unseen underneath the snow.”
The governor says every vehicle with a plow in the state has been asked to help.
All state residents should expect to stay indoors for 24 to 48 hours, he said.
he governor’s original plan is taking effect. Schools are closed, state workers working from home. So far there are no widespread outages reported to the command center. MEMA is also monitoring snow and high tide for major coastal damage.
As for Patrick himself, he has headed home, his wife stuck in California on a business trip.
