A travel ban is in place during a blizzard in NYC.
Photo by Dean Moses
A travel ban remains in effect across the five boroughs as a blockbuster blizzard continues to pummel New York City.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the travel ban will remain in place on Monday at least through noon as part of the city’s local state of emergency. Mamdani issued an Executive Order declaring the state of emergency from 9 p.m. on Feb. 22 until 12 p.m. on Feb. 23, due to the massive storm.
Local streets, highways, bridges and tunnels will remain closed to non-essential vehicular traffic Monday morning, the mayor said, to ensure emergency responders and essential workers can traverse the roads. Most vehicle traffic, including but not limited to commercial trucks, electric bicycles, scooters, and mopeds, is prohibited during the ban.
Vehicles that are exempted from the ban include:
Government and emergency response vehicles
Public transit, including MTA buses and Access-A-Ride
Vehicles delivering food, fuel and medical supplies
Utility vehicles performing emergency repairs
Transportation for essential workers traveling to workplaces
Transportation to hospitals and courses
Nonprofits and private groups providing emergency relief
Per the mayor’s executive order, any violation of the travel restrictions is a class B misdemeanor.
Due to the intensity of the storm, which has so far dropped at least 15 inches of snow on multiple National Weather Service reporting sites as of 7 a.m., the mayor urged New Yorkers to avoid non-essential travel.
“We’re asking everyone to stay indoors,” he said during a Monday morning interview on 1010 WINS.
More than 5,000 Department of Sanitation (DSNY) trucks had plowed 99% of city streets as of 5:30 a.m. on Monday. Around 2,600 DSNY members have been on the job, working 12-hour shifts to clear the streets and highways, the mayor said.
“In addition to the snow, it is also these wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph that combine to make these conditions so hazardous for drivers and New Yorkers who are going outside,” the mayor said, underscoring the dangers of non-essential travel.
Coinciding with the travel ban, food delivery app DoorDash suspended all service in NYC until at least noon on Monday. NYC subways and buses are running with severe delays; some lines, including the C and Staten Island Railway, were suspended as of Monday morning. Check mta.info for more information.
The mayor planned to update New Yorkers on the storm on Monday afternoon.