CITY OF LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, there were several car accidents in the City of Lockport. Drivers tell me it's because of slick, icy conditions on unsalted roads.
"It's the same thing every year," said Emily Miller. "Our streets are literally like an ice rink, no salt, and completely unsafe."
She tells me she has new tires, four-wheel drive and was only going 5 mph and still slid down Stevens Street Tuesday morning.
"Seems to be a repeat issue that should be totally avoidable," said Miller. "We pay a high amount of taxes in the city, where's our money being spent that's supposed to be allocated toward road care?"
Listen below to Broadcastify audio of dispatchers sending crews to accidents Tuesday morning.
Where are the salt trucks?
David Mongielo used to be a volunteer firefighter and heard the accidents on his scanner. He went out looking for salt trucks, but instead saw several accidents and was almost in one himself.
"I came to an intersection, I hit the brakes real early and boom, I started sliding right away. I must've slid for, God, 100 feet coming to this one intersection," said Mongielo.
He says people get frustrated, but he understands it can be tough for the city at the start of the season.
"People right away they blame the mayor, they blame people," said Mongielo. "There's nothing they can do to pre-guess what's gonna happen. You don't want to be salting roads when they're dry because salt costs a ton of money."
He runs a tire shop and says if you're preparing for winter, go with snow tires over all seasons.
"Believe it or not, snow tires are very affordable compared to all-season tires. Some are at a lower price point or the same as a cheap set of all seasons," said Mongielo.
I reached out to the Mayor's office and the Highway & Parks Department for the City of Lockport requesting a response to the road issues, but have not yet heard back.
