Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Snow Going: New Yorkers Are Still Digging Out
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Feb 4, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Feb 4, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It’s been three days since the city’s 17th biggest snowfall, and with 20 inches of snow landing in some neighborhoods, New Yorkers are still digging out.
On Thursday afternoon, the Department of Sanitation said that 95% of bike lanes had been cleared, but that does not mean they are cleared for long, as drivers, property owners, and more plows move the snow around the streetscape.
“It’s been a slow-go but we’ve done most of them at this point,” Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson told WNYC/Gothamist. “We’ve also seen instances where we’ve cleared the bike lanes and yet people clearing sidewalks that are adjacent to bike lanes or people clearing off their cars, they’ve deposited some snow back into the bike lane. It happens, but we’re working through those as well.”
Protected bike lanes are even trickier, because conventional plows cannot access them. Grayson said many of those have to be cleared manually by shovellers.
New Yorkers have come to expect post-storm obstacles, like mysteriously deep slush puddles at intersections, snowed-over bus stops, and patchworks of pavement on sidewalks. But Grayson argued the city was ready for this storm, and crews are not just sitting around waiting for the snow to melt.
There were 300 shovelling volunteers on Tuesday, and an additional 350 on Wednesday and 375 on Thursday. There are also about 100 small tractors which are deployed on streets and bridges to clear sidewalks and bike lanes.
“It’s better than it has been, say three or four storms ago,” said Jon Orcutt, a former DOT policy official who is now the director of communications at Bike New York. “I think it’s a dawning recognition that street design and street operations have to go together. Other cities figured it out from the get-go, and we’re a little bigger and slower here.”
The MTA also relies on the City to clear dedicated bus lanes and bus stops.
“Bus riders are reporting snow-covered lanes and even more, blocked bus stops. The mayor and sanitation department need to do a better job prioritizing bus stops and bus lanes for snow removal,” Danny Pearlstein, Policy and Communications Director, at Riders Alliance, wrote in a statement. “Especially given how reliant New Yorkers with disabilities and elderly people are on our bus system, it's critical that the administration clears bus stops early and often both during and following snowstorms.”
The city has an additional challenge in clearing the snow, a responsibility the city imposed in part on property owners. This winter, with so many businesses closed or out of business from the pandemic, many owners or tenants may not be around to shovel their walks.
The city had issued 142 summons for failure to clear sidewalks as of Thursday morning. In all of 2020, the DSNY issued 870 violations for snow and ice on sidewalks. Grayson said it is not a tool he prefers to use.
“To go and issue a summons, we will, but then the summons is on the door and the snow still lingers, that’s always going to be the cascading challenge,” Commissioner Grayson said. “But yeah, it’s going to be more difficult.”
Tagged
dot
snow
bike lanes
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].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Serbians forced to wait hours to vote at NYC consulate as Balkan nation holds election
Early voting may have kicked off in New York this weekend, but Serbian immigrants seeking to vote had a much tighter window on Sunday.
By
Jill Webb
and
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 25, 2026 at 2:57 p.m. ET
Retired NYPD detective charged in George Washington Bridge killing out on $1M bail
Victor Romero, who retired from the police department in 2001
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
Retired NYPD detective charged in George Washington Bridge killing out on $1M bail
Victor Romero, who retired from the police department in 2001
By
Michael Sol Warren
Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups
By
Jill Webb
Cuts to rural healthcare become key issue for upstate votes in race for NY governor
By
Samuel King
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
By
Arya Sundaram
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .