{"id":63452,"date":"2025-12-17T16:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T16:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/63452\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T16:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T16:57:09","slug":"why-are-pittsburghs-snow-plows-mia-pittsburgh-city-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/63452\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are Pittsburgh’s snow plows MIA? – Pittsburgh City Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

The snow is melting, but that may be cold comfort for Pittsburghers who waited days for their streets to be plowed or salted after the city was blanketed with the heaviest snowfall in three years<\/a>. Although the city\u2019s Department of Public Works (DPW) reported<\/a> \u201cmoderate successes\u201d in clearing roads, residents and local talking heads complained loudly on social media that it took days for workers to clear side streets \u2014 if they cleared them at all.<\/p>\n

For those who felt the city\u2019s response was inadequate, \u201cThey\u2019re right. Plain and simple. How can you try to drive or walk through the City right now and say that they\u2019re wrong?\u201d City Controller Rachael Heisler tells Pittsburgh City Paper.<\/p>\n

Heisler says the problem is straightforward: the city\u2019s vehicle fleet is in rough shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the 2018-2019 winter season, the City had 144 vehicles available for snow removal. Last year we had 103, with 37 down for maintenance, so effectively 66,\u201d Heisler says. \u201cYesterday, the administration said that, this weekend, the City was operating with 57 trucks and 13 reserve units. That\u2019s as clear an indicator as you can find of what\u2019s happened with our fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding to local uncertainty was the failure<\/a> of Pittsburgh\u2019s Snow Plow Tracker software<\/a>. The webpage hosting the tool appears to have been taken down, and Reddit users speculated<\/a> that issues with the software\u2019s developer were to blame. On Dec. 16, City Paper saw requests for Snow and Ice Removal flood the City\u2019s 311 service, with dozens coming in every minute over an hour-long period.<\/p>\n

Representatives of DPW and the Mayor\u2019s Office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.<\/p>\n

\"\"Heavy snowfall piles up in Squirrel Hill on Dec. 15, 2025. Credit: Mars Johnson<\/p>\n

Residents have given DPW\u2019s response a chilly reception, with some calling<\/a> the lack of response \u201cunacceptable\u201d and posting complaints on social media. Local radio host Marty Griffin, an outspoken critic of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey\u2019s administration, posted and reshared multiple videos of struggling delivery vehicles and unplowed roadways. Griffin, a Mt. Lebanon resident, called the City\u2019s response \u201cridiculous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Complaints on Reddit also addressed neighbors\u2019 unwillingness to shovel and the \u201cslippy\u201d surfaces of the city\u2019s new piano-key crosswalks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re 3 days out from the storm the city has really dropped the ball this time around,\u201d u\/PhilosophizingPanda posted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you right now that both Pitt and [Carnegie Mellon] campus were not touched,\u201d said u\/NoMaans.<\/p>\n

\u201c[W]e have a fleet crisis. This is why the only real solution for the 2026 budget is a tax increase,\u201d u\/torcsandantlers wrote.<\/p>\n

Heisler agrees. Beyond snow plows, she says vehicle repairs and replacements will be critical to improving public safety and sentiment, noting that \u201call departments that rely on City vehicles \u2014 fire, EMS, police, everything.\u201d <\/p>\n

She says deferred maintenance has been a problem across multiple administrations, but recent budget negotiations, coupled with the heavy snowfall, have made City workers\u2019 challenges \u2014 and, in turn, Pittsburgh residents\u2019 complaints \u2014 more acute. As City Council mulls a tax increase, Heisler says she\u2019d like to see Pittsburgh \u201cget better at the basics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very vocal about the fact that we need the Mayor and City Council to prioritize investments in our fleet, so I hope that happens,\u201d Heisler says. \u201cThere won\u2019t be any meaningful, noticeable change in our storm response until it does.\u201d<\/p>\n

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