When severe weather bears down, our members get in gear to keep our roads safe and keep our communities running.
New Yorkers rely on the vital services that our members and other public employees deliver every day, including ensuring that our roads are clear and safe.
A recent snowstorm that dropped up to a foot of snow, as well as some ice, across much of the state proved to be no exception when it comes to our members delivering services.
CSEA President Danny Donohue, left, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, center, greet state Department of Transportation workers in Latham during a recent snowstorm.
“Even when winter weather hits, many of our members are still on the job,” CSEA President Danny Donohue said. “Our members play key roles in keeping New York’s communities going in all kinds of weather. For them to be able to provide these services, including emergency response, we need our roads to be clear and safe. Our DOT and local government highway workers work around the clock before, during and after storms so that our roads can be safer and services can continue.”
In the days before every storm, CSEA members employed by the state Department of Transportation and local government highway departments are hard at work preparing for the severe weather, including pre-treating roads with salt, maintaining snow removal equipment and ensuring adequate supplies.
When the flakes start, so do our members’ around-the-clock work at removing snow and ice, including plowing and salting roads. Even after the snow ends, our members are still hard at work removing snow and ice to get communities back to normal.
“While many New Yorkers are home during the storm, our members head outside into the most treacherous weather to ensure that our roads are safe,” Donohue said. “They not only work in difficult circumstances, but they are away from their own homes and families. I thank each and every one of our members who never quit at keeping our roads safe, as well as every member who never quits at providing services that can’t stop with a poor weather forecast.”
Help us keep New York safe
When it comes to winter weather, CSEA members on state and local highway crews work to keep you safe. If you must drive during a storm, here are some tips to keep yourself — and snowplow operators — safe:
- Yield to snowplows, which travel slower than posted speeds.
- Give snowplow drivers plenty of room to do their jobs. The safest place for you is far behind the snowplow; put extra space between you and a snowplow so the plow operator can see you.
- Never drive beside a snowplow, which can be wider than a typical lane of traffic. Never pass a plow.
- Near a tow plow? Use extra caution around tow plows, which are much larger than regular snowplows and can swing out to plow the lane next to the truck.
- Slow down and be patient. Never use cruise control on wet, icy roads.
- Stay alert. A snowplow weighs significantly more than passenger vehicles. In a crash, car occupants are much more likely to be injured.
- If you don’t have to travel during a storm, stay home.
