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New Yorkers begin to lose hope as freeze sets in and snow turns gray
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Liam Quigley
Published Jan 30, 2026
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Stephen Nessen / Gothamist
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Liam Quigley
Published Jan 30, 2026
Share
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Five days after New York City was buried in nearly a foot of snow, a frigid sense of despair has fallen over the five boroughs.
Mounds of snow — once a lovely white but now a dingy gray and yellow — continue to block crosswalks and bike lanes across town. Many of the sidewalks that are shoveled have narrow paths that force pedestrians to squeeze into single-file lines. Piles of trash and recycling amassed on some streets as the sanitation department reported delays in collections.
There is no end in sight to the misery. The National Weather Service forecasts at least another week of below-freezing temperatures. Help in the form of a thaw is not on the way.
There simply aren't enough crews to clear every single crosswalk in New York City following last weekend's blizzard.
Stephen Nessen / Gothamist
“ I can't go out to do any shopping or anything, clinic appointments, anything that's an emergency, I just have to put things off,” said Martha Mendez, 67, who lives in Washington Heights and relies on a motorized wheelchair.
Mendez said on Friday that she hadn’t been able to leave her home since Saturday because of fears that she’d tip over or her wheels would get stuck. The ice and narrow sidewalks make travel impossible.
She has no family in New York, but does have health aides who help her. Still, she’s lost her independence — her usual form of transportation, Access-a-Ride, has become impossible to access.
“ Sometimes they can't bring the lift down because there was so much snow,” Mendez said. “It's not like I can say, ‘Well, let's go to the corner,’ because the corner has snow, so I'm obligated to stay home.”
Sanitation department regulations say trash bags aren't allowed to be put out until 8 p.m. But piles sat out all day after the city reported delays in collection.
Clayton Guse / Gothamist
Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged in a social media video Thursday night it could be the “harshest winter stretch New York has ever seen.” Despite the city’s around-the-clock efforts, things might not get better for New Yorkers like Mendez until the ice thaws.
The slushy state of the streets also made a tough job harder for Jonathan Greico, a FedEx driver who was making deliveries in Astoria, Queens.
“What do I think about the city’s response? They’re not doing a damn thing about it,” Greico griped. “It’s so difficult to park, I had to park all the way up there.”
Many residents in Astoria, where the mayor used to live, were despondent on Friday.
Liam Quigley / Gothamist
Even riding the bus is perilous.
“There's snow all over the sidewalk and in front of the bus stop,” Keisha Graham said as she commuted home from her job in Dumbo to East New York through Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday. “I could hardly get to the bus stop. I'm scared that I'm going to slip and fall.”
Biking in Brooklyn wasn’t much easier. On Thursday afternoon, many of the bike lanes on the borough’s main streets were clear, but those on the side streets were still icy and slushy. A pile of snow blocked the usually busy bike lane on Jay Street, not far from the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Narrow clearings shoveled out in the snow have left many New York City crosswalks difficult to pass.
Stephen Nessen / Gothamist
Still, some New Yorkers were able to hold onto hope, like 80-year-old Astoria resident Steven Hackbarth. He said this week is nothing compared to the winter of 1992, when a nor’easter not only brought a blizzard to the city, but also a storm surge and flooding that knocked out power.
“No complaint, that’s the reality,” he said of having to shovel out his car. “Snow is not an issue, but that faucet better still be dripping. That’s what I’m thinking.”
Tagged
brooklyn
manhattan
new york city
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Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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