February 3rd, 2021 – Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter announced today that in response to numerous complaints, Town of Islip officials may be issuing violations to those residents who park their vehicles on secondary roads during snowstorms.
“We don’t want to be in the business of fining people, especially when they’re in the midst of dealing with a storm event and a pandemic. However, the situation presents a safety hazard and it’s not fair to the residents that they’re not getting curb to curb plowing, because a neighbor insists upon leaving their car in the road,” said Supervisor Carpenter.
The Supervisor said that Town Public Safety officers will be notifying residents going forward. “Leaving your car in the road during a storm is against the law. You can get a violation. In the interest of public safety and in the interest of what is right and fair for everyone, we are going to have to address this issue with the tools we have at our disposal,” added the Supervisor.
According to Town officials, the storm’s high winds and cars left curbside were an impediment to plowing. “Some of the challenges were the blizzard-like conditions, and the volume of cars parked in our roadways overnight and throughout the day. The issue with cars was also the case in the storm last December. It not only prevents crews from doing their job, but it’s also dangerous for our drivers, and can cause damage to vehicles and private property,” said Tom Owens, DPW Commissioner.
Town officials and staff were prepared for Sunday’s Nor’easter. Crews began operations at 9 pm Sunday, and immediately began salting all main roads, intersections, bridges and emergency routes. Staff from three divisions; DPW, Parks and DEC banded together and began plowing once there was an accumulation. At 11 pm, Town officials called in approximately 300 plow contractors to assist in the effort. Approximately 20 large pay loaders and 12 bobcats were utilized to clear railroad stations, along with approximately 40 municipal parking lots throughout the Town.
“We have approximately 1,200 miles of road to clear so in a storm of this size, it’s not unusual to make 5 or 6 passes over our roadways. We used approx. 3,000 tons of salt for this storm,” said Tom Owens, Commissioner, DPW and Parks and Recreation.
“We appreciate the public’s patience, as we address the residual effects of this storm. We are currently assisting our stakeholders on Fire Island, throughout the county and the state, along with helping DPW, making sure the roads are clear and that the low-lying areas that did experience flooding are getting pumped out adequately,” said Tony Prudenti, Deputy Commissioner, Town of Islip Public Safety.
“Thank you to our local law enforcement, fire departments and EMS, for their readiness to respond to calls for help from Islip residents during this storm,” said John Cochrane, Jr. Islip Town Councilman.
“In the face of these extreme conditions, I want to thank the dedicated Town of Islip employees who are working around the clock through many challenges, in response to this winter storm,” said James O’Connor, Islip Town Councilman.