Cleveland residents, City Council members voice frustrations over unplowed streets

Cleveland residents are frustrated with how long it's taking the city to clear snow from the streets, City Council members said Monday.

The City Council said they've been flooded with complaints from residents about problems caused by unplowed streets, WEWS-TV reported (http://bit.ly/1IKaMU3 ).

A winter storm dumped at least a foot of snow in parts of northern Ohio last week, prompting driving bans and hundreds of school and business closings.

Council members said they were told by city administration that streets are supposed to be plowed within 48 hours of a snowstorm, but that hasn't been the case.

Councilwoman Dona Brady said she doesn't want to be lied to about when streets will be plowed.

"If we don't have enough people to get to these streets in the next snow event for four days, you tell me it's four days," Brady said Monday night.

The city said crews focus on main roads first and usually don't start plowing side streets until a couple of days after a snowstorm.

Councilman Michael Polensek said at Monday's council meeting that police cars, fire vehicles and school buses are getting stuck in the snowy streets.

The city said more than a third of Cleveland's snowplows are out of service.

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Information from: WEWS-TV, http://www.newsnet5.com