New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said traffic is the only reason certain neighborhoods were not plowed promptly and praised the efforts of the city's sanitation department, reported the New York Times.
As the snowstorm set in Tuesday evening and several streets across the borough remained unplowed, complaints began to roll in and, like a snowball, increased in intensity-- particularly on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where the city's wealthiest enclave quickly became a slushy, frozen mess.
Was the mayor-- a Brooklynite-- perhaps sending a message that Manhattan was not the center of the New York City universe?
At a press conference on Wednesday, he insisted that nobody was treated differently and rejected repeated suggestions that parts of Manhattan had been ignored.
City officials said on Wednesday that a combination of rapidly falling snow, gridlocked streets and problems on the Queensboro Bridge had combined to create a traffic nightmare in the area on Tuesday.
"After inspecting the area and listening to concerns from residents earlier today, I determined more could have been done to serve the Upper East Side," de Blasio said. "Our crews will remain on the streets around the clock until the roadways are clear in every neighborhood, in every borough, across New York City."
