BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Many City of Buffalo residents are dealing with the aggravation of snow-clogged streets following a record snow fall.
For many people living in the city, street parking is the only option, but unplowed streets are making it tough.
“A little bit of an irritation — I can say I just wish that the city was continuously plowing,” remarked Chris Edwards.
Edwards lives on Highland near Richmond Avenue in Buffalo's Elmwood Village.
When we spoke with him Tuesday afternoon he was digging out his car and waiting for a plow.
“I would like the city to be a little bit more on top of it. We've seen two plows in the past two weeks come Buffalo by, so it's not exactly like they are on top of it. I get Highland is not a big street, but Elmwood Village is very highly densely populated,” explained Edwards.
“Please get to our back streets — you know,” replied Barbara Crabtree.
Crabtree lives on Norwood. She tells me she loves the city and the snow, but doesn't love the fact that she can’t get her car out of her garage because of the snowy street.
“So we're even thinking about calling an Uber if that's a possibility — I don't know,” said Crabtree
“We’re continuing to work through all of the neighborhoods. This is a lot of snow. A record amount of snow that feel in the City of Buffalo,” explained Michael Finn, commissioner, public works and streets.
Finn says right now they are “exclusively focused” on residential streets and starting “to see progress” throughout the city, but there is still work to be done.
Crews are teaming up with two plows to push through the side streets.
“One of the big challenges that we are seeing out there, especially on residential streets, folks getting stuck with car. Cars get stuck — plows aren't able to get down, so in a sense there's a lot of working together,” Finn noted.
Still for residents in the Elwmood Village tell me it's very common not to see a plow right away after a big storm.
Street after street in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village residents are digging out. Many asking when plows will be down side streets. @MayorByronBrown spokesman tells me they are making steady progress. @WKBW #snow pic.twitter.com/BVxn4JyOG6
— eileen buckley (@eileenwkbw) January 18, 2022
“You really don’t, for some reason even yesterday. I probably heard the plow maybe twice all day come down this main street other than that — I don't know where they go hide or I don't know what it is.” said Albert Valderrama, Elmwood Village resident.
But by late Tuesday afternoon, two snow plows cleared snow twice along Highland around parked vehicles.
It was the same in other parts of the city Tuesday, including Riverside, West Side, north Buffalo and the east side of Buffalo.
The city is urging residents on alternate parking streets to move their vehicles when they are able..and to use common sense.
The city says it has about 35 to 40 pieces of equipment working to clear the streets. It's also getting help from Erie County and the state. But the state plows are too big for the city's side streets.
