BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) — Since Wednesday’s snowfall in the city of Buffalo and much of the metro area, the city’s Department of Public Works says two of its plows have not reported GPS tracking data, leading to some Inaccuracies in the city’s online GPS has resulted in tracking maps.
This caused some roads on the map to appear unplowed when in fact they were. During a storm two months ago, technical glitches were found in the city’s snowplow mapping system.
A city spokesman says these plows will be repaired, and if repairs can’t be made, the plows will get new GPS tracking systems.
“We have two units that we know aren’t working, they’re not reporting accurately right now, so I know that’s the cause of some of the red areas,” said Nate Marton, commissioner of the Buffalo Department of Public Works .
As for the conditions on the city’s streets, many local residents we spoke to are concerned that leftover snow could freeze and ice over.
City officials express frustration with GPS tracking tool used to clear snow
“I haven’t seen a salt truck here since the big snow, to be honest, so they think it’s going to rain, it’s going to melt on its own, but it doesn’t,” said Ken Eisenmann, a resident of Hamlin Park. “The corners here are pretty bad, you go around corners, if you don’t stop you go right through the stop signs, which has always been a problem in this area.”
Eisenmann walks with a cane to get around after sustaining a back injury at work.
Marton says that after Wednesday’s snowfall, plows focused all day salting the city’s streets, and that the salting on your street may not have been done while it was snowing because plows would just come by and wipe it away . The city is reminding residents that if you have trouble plowing or salting on your road, you can call 311.
“They’re doing the main streets, but the side streets, the side streets, aren’t coming in as fast as they should,” said Christopher James, a Buffalo resident.
The city says it is following its snowplough plan, which focuses first on major and secondary roads and then on residential neighborhoods.
Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.
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