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Buffalo leaders taking first steps to improve sidewalk snow removal

Buffalo snow plow
Posted at 5:26 PM, Oct 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-04 17:53:19-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Snow is not only an issue on the roads, but also the sidewalks where it piles up outside homes and businesses.

In a matter of weeks, or even days knowing Buffalo's weather, the streets and sidewalks will be covered in snow, but how the city removes it all is frustrating for a lot of people, including Simon Husted.

"We always have this ice over every sidewalk, over every curb and it makes it completely hazardous," Husted explained.

Husted rides his bike almost every day.

"Some days it's actually easier to just walk out my house with the bike and get where I need to go versus pulling out my car of the driveway in a side street that hasn't been plowed for days," he added.

This frustration is also being felt in North Buffalo where Ben Schaefer is.

7 News' Kristen Mirand asked if walking down the street is nearly impossible during the winter.

"It's impossible. It's absolutely impossible," Schaefer replied.

Now the city is looking to change the way it approaches snow removal.

A study, from the Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Board, was presented to Buffalo's Common Council on Tuesday.

It looks at current plans, challenges the city faces with snow removal and what needs to change.

"This has been brought up in the past to the council, so really moving forward we have look at the cost benefit analysis and how we can make this happen in the City of Buffalo," Lovejoy Council member Bryan Bollman said.

The study outlined challenges including:

  • Calls to 311 to report violations that go unanswered
  • Fines to homeowners that are not an effective source of funding
  • Injuries resulting from dangerous sidewalks
  • Children who cannot safely participate in activities outside
  • Seniors who are less likely to go outside because of the slippery sidewalks
  • People using wheelchairs and walkers who have trouble crossing streets if curbsides are not clear, which is a violation of the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act
  • There is no designated funding in the city's budget for sidewalk plowing

"No one's going to take care of it unless it's the city taking a role in it," Husted said.

Recommendations from the study including a designated fund for a pilot study prioritizing city-owned and abandoned properties, streets with bus routes and sidewalks near schools.

"Which I think is a great idea. Let's see what works best for the City of Buffalo," Bollman added.

Bollman said this is just a first step. There will be another meeting to discuss the study on Tuesday, October 11. He added that the Common Council will need to coordinate with the new Public Works, Parks and Streets Commissioner on removal plans.

"I would like to just see the money go to where we need it. You know, people need to walk. Buses need to go," Schaefer added.