{"id":124942,"date":"2026-02-06T10:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/124942\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T10:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:24:11","slug":"frozen-piles-in-bus-lanes-make-obstacle-course-for-commuters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/124942\/","title":{"rendered":"Frozen Piles in Bus Lanes Make \u2018Obstacle Course\u2019 for Commuters"},"content":{"rendered":"

With single-digit temperatures set to freeze New York City again this weekend, bus operators are pushing City Hall to clear icy piles that are still lingering in some bus lanes since a major snowstorm late last month.<\/p>\n

The Jan. 25 storm<\/a> dumped up to 13 inches across sections of the city, with the leftover mounds not yet cleared from streets creating enduring commuting headaches more than a week and a half after the storm.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that should have been taken care of and it should have been a priority \u2014 they should have prepared for that,\u201d said Gary Rosario, a Transport Workers Union Local 100 vice president. \u201cNow, we\u2019ve got to go through the obstacles of the city not meeting their responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

While 3,400 snowed-in MTA bus shelters<\/a> were cleared by last Thursday, days after the storm, commuters are continuing to contend with some bus lanes that have been temporarily taken over by mountains of ice formed by snow-clearing equipment.<\/p>\n

Lynne Windsor said her MTA express bus trips between Midtown and Westerleigh, Staten Island have been significantly lengthened by scattered piles of snow in the bus lanes along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Some days, she said, her normal ride home has been extended by close to an hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s adding a lot of time to everyone\u2019s commute,\u201d Windsor said. \u201cNow you have cars and other buses in the regular lane, because the bus lane is being blocked by cars and trucks because the curbside lanes are still full of snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Sanitation Department, its snow-clearing operation<\/a> had melted 231 million pounds of snow by Thursday night, with icy mounds being chopped up by heavy machinery before being carted off to massive melting machines<\/a> that can melt 120 tons of snow per hour.<\/p>\n

\"\"A bus stop in Lower Manhattan is covered in snow, Feb. 3, 2026. Credit: Alex Krales\/THE CITY<\/p>\n

\u201cWith unprecedented subfreezing temperatures following last Sunday\u2019s storm, we absolutely are continuing to plow and widen bus lanes across the city, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the foreseeable future,\u201d said spokesperson Vincent Gragnani. \u201cThis snow is being broken up by skid steers and hauled away to one of 13 snow melters across the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gragnani said Sanitation Department crews have cleared pedestrian access to the estimated 15,000 bus stops citywide, even as unsheltered bus stops are supposed to be cleared by neighboring property owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not stopping this work any time soon,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

But with temperatures expected to plummet<\/a> into single digits again by Saturday, Rosario said bus operators are bracing for the frozen barriers in bus lanes to stick around a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe snow piles are one extra thing that we have to worry about and concern ourselves with,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s the danger of not only the road and the unexpected, but now something that could have been managed better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vittorio Bugatti, of the Express Bus Advocacy Group, said yet-to-be cleared bus lanes came during a time of year that tends to be easier for commuters on the buses that link riders in the boroughs with Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is making already long commutes extremely challenging, as commuters see commutes of over two hours with delays,\u201d he said. \u201cThe winter season tends to be the best in terms of good commutes for express bus riders, as there is usually less traffic, so we really want these bus lanes.\u201d<\/p>\n

An MTA spokesperson declined to comment, while monthly data on bus speeds and service delivery during the extended cold snap is not yet publicly available.<\/p>\n

Rosario, who represents New York City Transit bus drivers, said the extended fallout from the winter storm as well as the prospect of another freeze, will continue to slow service while also bus operators must contend with flustered commuters and other vehicles parking near bus stops.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a battle for space and whoever gets there first is just going to take it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like an obstacle course for bus operators.\u201d<\/p>\n

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