By Nora Kowalczyk
BUFFALO — The City of Buffalo is adding seven John Deere tractors fitted with snowblowers, a bigger contractor budget and new plow technology in a bid to stop side streets from being left behind after winter storms, city officials said Thursday, according to Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
Mayor Sean Ryan and the Department of Public Works showed off one of the new tractors, which are built to fit down streets too narrow for a traditional plow truck. The city estimates it has about 200 miles of roadway made up of narrow streets, dead ends and roads with medians, and those streets have historically been among the hardest for DPW crews to clear.
“Get us the equipment”
DPW Commissioner Nolan Skipper said the purchase answers a long-standing request from his department.
“We’ve long said get us the equipment, get us a space to live in, have us in better conditions, and we’ll perform,” Skipper said.
He said the tractors would put the city ahead of storms on residential blocks rather than catching up afterward.
“This is a huge investment to put real equipment in the streets when the snow is hitting, and not be days behind on the side streets,” Skipper said.
Schools, jobs and the basics
Ryan cast snow removal as the most basic test of city government.
“What could be more basic in the city of Buffalo than clearing your streets and snow plowing?” Ryan said. “We need to support people who are going to work. We need to support businesses. We want Buffalo schools to be open on snowy days and not have the schools to say we have to close because we can’t get our buses down the street.”
The mayor also pointed to a $2 million increase in the city’s budget for private snow-removal contractors.
The 24-hour goal
The tractors are part of the city’s latest Snow Plan, which sets a goal of reaching every city street with snow-clearing equipment within 24 hours after a storm ends. Ryan said the new equipment will help meet that goal while giving DPW workers better tools, BTPM reported.
The city is also testing new plow blade edges similar to those used by Erie County. The blades use individual rollers that contour to the road surface, letting operators scrape closer to the pavement while reducing damage from speed bumps and other hazards. Officials said the design also makes repairs easier, and that if the test is successful the city will buy more of the edges, which are made by a local manufacturer.
Other changes are less visible. Plows are swapping paper route maps for electronic versions, the city is upgrading its GPS tracking system, and operators will be able to flag vehicles that block snow removal, sending the information directly to the Department of Parking Enforcement.
What to watch
The first real test will come with the season’s first significant lake-effect event. Officials have not said whether the city will publish data showing how often the 24-hour goal is met, or how the added contractor money will be distributed across the city’s neighborhoods. The improved GPS system could make that kind of public reporting possible.
The Buffalo Chronicle has asked DPW for the full Snow Plan, the cost of the tractors and blade test, and whether plow-tracking data will be made public this winter.
This story draws on reporting by Ryan Zunner of Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Snow removal on Cottage Street, Buffalo, 2019.
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