BUFFALO, N.Y. — City of Buffalo residents are preparing for the third major snow event of the winter while many still work to clean up from the second.

What You Need To Know

  • Buffalo residents said they were upset with how the streets have been maintained since the last storm

  • Ice is inches thick on residential streets

  • Department of Public Works and Buffalo Common Council Members met Tuesday to discuss a fix

“I’ve lived here since 1958. This is the absolute worst the city has ever looked with snow removal since I have been here,” said Joseph VanMeer of Bird Avenue.

VanMeer said the city’s plow job was subpar as large patches of ice and snow mounds remain in residential areas.

“The people in the city of Buffalo pay the taxes here, and one of the taxes we pay for is snow removal,” he said.

Department of Public Works Commissioner Michael Flynn said the biggest obstacles in this storm were the volume of snow and illegal parking. He said the city’s snow plan accounts for 10 inches, but in the last storm there was roughly two feet.

Finn was part of a Community Development Committee Meeting that was held virtually on Tuesday where common council members suggested making changes to the snow plan. These proposed changes included a $45,000 GPS tracking system that lets residents track snow plows and issues on roadways, proposed by Joseph Golombek, Jr. of the North District.

Members also suggested an easy-to-use comprehensive guide for residents that outlines snow removal responsibilities and parking rules. There is no set date for that but council member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt of the University District said it should be a priority.

“Commissioner, if you can come up with a timetable, even if we have to have a virtual town hall, I think now is the time,” said Wyatt. “I think residents want to know they’ve been heard in these situations and that we’re not ignoring them.”

The bulk of the next snow event is expected to hit Thursday.