People with disabilities experienced an unusual transportation challenge following the December 26 blizzard when the City’s flawed cleanup effort left residents stranded for days.
Attorney T.K. Small, who lives on a secondary street in Brooklyn, said he didn’t see a plow for almost 48 hours after the storm and was stuck home for more than four days.
“There were literally mountains of snow in the curb cuts, so I could go outside in front of my building and basically after that I could go nowhere,” said Small, who attributes the City’s slow response to a variety of factors including the storm’s arrival on the day after Christmas, city cutbacks and actions of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Milagros Franco, Housing Intake Coordinator for the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled who lives in Manhattan, said she was stuck in her home for a week and had to take vacation time from work. “I’ve never been stuck inside for a whole week. I’ve always been a person who goes out whatever the weather so for me to stay in is a big thing,” Franco said.
Franco attributed the problem to the lack of snow clearing on sidewalks and curb cuts, and called for a legal response. “Everyone’s always complaining about how disabled people take from the city, from the government and here we are trying to get somewhere and we can’t.”
“I'm still snowed in on my block because people did not shovel sidewalks and curb cuts are icy and snowy,” said Jean Ryan, vice president for public affairs for Disabled Action, eleven days after the storm.
“I need to get to meetings and appointments but I just cannot. I tried to think how I could take Access-A-Ride but I don't think I have a good chance of meeting the van,” Ryan said.
Curb cuts and parking spaces for people with disabilities often become a repository for snow during clearing. Dumping snow in those parking spots is illegal under section 1203-e of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law and a fine of up to $100 can be issued.
City Council hearings about the cleanup started January 10, where officials apologized for the slow response and discussed internal communication lapses. There will be additional hearings in each borough, including one at Brooklyn Borough Hall at 6 p.m. January 19.
A local report by Council Member Brad Lander of Kensington will look into the differing cleanup times in several Brooklyn neighborhoods. The Council will also look at technology and communication issues within the Department of Sanitation, as well as the City’s failure to declare a snow emergency at the start of the storm and the degree to which snow removal was prioritized around hospitals and subway entrances.
Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate, received more than 900 complaints about the blizzard in the three days after the flakes stopped, two thirds of which were from people who had not seen a plow for two days.
“For days, City government failed to provide the most fundamental services. People couldn’t get a human being on the other end of the line at 311. Ambulances and fire trucks couldn’t reach those in need. Hundreds of New Yorkers in need turned to our office for help,” said de Blasio. “From what we heard, it’s clear the City needs a new playbook to stay ahead of big storms.”
This article was published in the February 2011 issue of Able News.
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