HOLLAND, NY - Folks in some areas of the Southtowns are concerned about the conditions of some county roads, which they say aren't getting plowed enough.
"This has been kind of an ongoing issue - there's no school, no plow," said Carla Fuller of Holland, who is talking about Phillips Road, which is maintained by Erie County. She says a lot of people in her neighborhood use it.
"Everyone up here pretty much goes Phillips Road because it's the shortest way to get down to Route 16 and Holland to go whichever way you want to do," Fuller said. But, since schools were dismissed for winter vacation, she says its been treacherous.
"It's just not safe," she said.
When we drove Phillips Road, it was tough to see in whiteout conditions. But we did see a county plow make a pass.
REPORTER: You'd like to see a little more of that more attention?
"I think more frequency. I think it's fair to people out here make a few more passes," Fuller said.
In Colden, Town Highway Superintendent Paul Clarkson also has some concerns about one county road in particular -- Wohlhueter Road in Boston. Clarkson says there was a two-vehicle accident there Wednesday morning that sent people to the hospital.
Colden Highway Department also responded.
"They plowed it this morning, but two hours later, you can't have the snow on the hill, so two hours later somebody comes down that hill they slide all over it and they have an accident where we are on our hills almost constantly," Clarkson said. "We're trying to figure out how to help the county get out more and get their runs done quicker, my suggestion is you know is when the sun is shining in West Seneca or Elma and all that and their guys are sitting in their barn why can't they send some trucks to help these guys?"
A county spokesperson says that Phillips Road in Holland has not been neglected and that it was plowed more than 20 times since Friday. But, with two to four inches of snow falling at times, it can start to get messy and a pass is made usually every four hours.
Apart from the snowy roads, Clarkson says the freezing temperatures are constantly causing parts on plows and trucks to break. When that happens, he has to find parts to make the repairs and says he has to travel out to Cheektowaga and Springville to get those parts – which eats up precision time during the day.
Clarkson says in these cold conditions, salt does not work, so crews have had to switch to a sand, salt and calcium mixture to melt snow and ice. He urges drivers who are cutting through Colden to try to avoid the hills.