Bus riders in NYC and beyond struggling with snowed-in bus stops
The cleanup and dig-out is continuing around New York following this weekend's snowstorm.
The bitterly cold temperatures since the storm means mounds of snow and ice are lingering, impacting pedestrians, bus riders and more.
"I don't really feel safe"
CBS News New York spotted mounds of snow and ice at bus stops throughout Queens. In Queens Village, bus riders trying to get to work were forced to stand on busy Jamaica Avenue to wait.
"I'm a nurse, so I take the bus. I have to go to different patients," one passenger said. "I don't really feel safe."
Plows have been clearing streets since Sunday, pushing snow toward the sidewalk. The bitter cold has turned it into ice, with pedestrians and bus riders paying the price.
"I have to be standing in the road. Just now, a car saw me, and came real close to me, which is not safe," rider Jean Bennett said.
Who's responsible for clearing ice and snow?
New York City's Department of Sanitation is tasked with clearing public streets in the Big Apple. The Department of Transportation has been handling all the covered bus shelters. Property owners with a bus stop in front of their property are required to shovel that bus stop.
"Property owners are responsible for the remaining thousands of bus stops," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday.
In addition to picking up the 24 million pounds of trash New Yorkers are putting out every day, 2,500 sanitation workers have been working 12-hour shifts and stepping in to clear subways.
"We brined roads, we salted roads, we plowed roads, and now we're going after the bus stops, the crosswalks, the fire hydrants," Sanitation Department spokesperson Vincent Gragnani said.
"We need some action"
Officials say businesses and homeowners can face fines that start at $100 if their sidewalks aren't shoveled. As of Thursday morning, 1,200 summonses were issued for failure to shovel sidewalks.
"We need some action to be done," Bennett said. "I mean, it's a lot of snow, I understand, but something can be done."
Passengers want bus stops cleared so they can stand and board the bus safely.
New Yorkers are asked to call 311 to report bus stops or sidewalks that need shoveling. City officials say workers are monitoring them and will respond.
Problem extends beyond NYC
In Westchester County, many Bee-Line bus shelters are also inaccessible due to the snow. The county says cleanup crews are doing their best to catch up.
CBS News New York has seen improvement in Harrison and Mamaroneck as cleanup efforts have progressed. Every day sees more snow scooped up and dumped at Harbor Island Park, which has been transformed as a result into an arctic snowscape.
In Tarrytown, orange cones were planted on piles of snow, warning drivers will be ticketed and towed if they don't make room for road crews to tackle the frozen piles blocking parking, and narrowing traffic.
"I commend the village. They're doing an incredible job, working around the clock, trying to clean it up," Tarrytown resident Frangelin Pozo said.
In Mount Vernon Thursday, there were few DPW crews out because many of them are working overnight, closing streets in order to clear them. The cleanup effort may take longer, however, than people suspect; it may even take weeks.
"We've focused on our business districts to make sure the snow is removed from those areas. Now over the next few weeks gonna be moving into the residential areas," DPW Commissioner Damani Bush said.
The huge snow followed by the bitter cold - there's no quick recovery from that one-two punch.