INDIANAPOLIS — As the sun starts to melt the snow, some neighborhoods’ streets still look and feel like a sheet of ice.
“I understand that the connector streets may be prioritized, but that’s made the neighborhoods really dangerous,” Ali Oppel said.
Oppel lives on a street that has yet to see a snowplow.
“We have a lot of kids that walk to school and people who need to drive so it’s been disappointing to see,” Oppel said.
In 2020, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works said the city switched from its six-inch rule to a connector street strategy.
The city’s policy states that 1,400 lane miles of residential streets are not included in the city's snow fight plan.
“That's not for me to judge, I think everyone in Indianapolis — we have about 900,000 citizens — I think everyone is going to have their own experience," Kyle Bloyd with Indy DPW told WRTV.
As the city braces for another round of potential winter weather, Chris Spangle is certainly not happy with round one.
“A neighbor was driving and he swerved right into our car,” Spangle said.
Spangle said it happened Near 23rd and Alabama, a street that is still covered in snow and ice.
“This is a safety issue. The city’s main job is to protect people,” Spangle added.
Now, neighbors are urging the city to make changes to the connector street policy.
“The damage is done. The only thing we can do is do better next time and keep advocating to our city council reps,” Oppel said.
DPW says crews will start 12-hour shifts Saturday morning as rain could turn to snow.
Meanwhile, city county councilors tell WRTV they're drafting a proposal to create an ordinance to change the plowing policy to better address all residential streets.
