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Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz

Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz » ERIE COUNTY UPDATES TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AS OF FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 AT 8 A.M.

ERIE COUNTY UPDATES TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AS OF FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 AT 8 A.M.

Modified: November 18, 2022 12:00pm

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Travel Advisory in effect for City of Buffalo and Towns of Brant, Colden, Collins, Concord, Holland, North Collins and Sardinia

ERIE COUNTY, NY— Following continued reviews of road conditions and weather forecasts, Erie County has updated its travel restrictions as of 8 a.m. on Friday, November 18.

The City of Buffalo and the Towns of Brant, Colden, Collins, Concord, Holland, North Collins and Sardinia are now under a Travel Advisory. Link to updated map .

The City of Tonawanda and the Towns of Amherst, Clarence, Newstead and Grand Island were shifted to a Travel Advisory as of 6 a.m. this morning.

Due to treacherous road conditions and expected heavy snowfall, a Travel Ban remains in effect for the remainder of Erie County, as shown on this map.

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'This is going to be a dangerous storm.' Travel bans issued ahead of winter storm

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Due to the weekend storm, Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued a full travel ban across Erie County beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday.

In addition, all commercial traffic will be banned on the New York State Thruway between exit 46 (Henrietta) and the Pennsylvania State Line.

Bot travel bans will be in effect until further notice.

"This is going to be a dangerous storm," Hochul said at a noon press conference on Saturday.

⚠️ #WNY - TRAVEL ALERT: Beginning at 9 p.m. TONIGHT, all commercial traffic WILL BE BANNED on all State, County and local roads in Erie County and on the Thruway between exit 46 (Henrietta) and the Pennsylvania State Line. This ban will remain in effect indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/vUBjKQrUQN — New York State Thruway Authority (@NYSThruway) January 13, 2024

Winter storm warning issued for western New York

A winter storm warning has been issued for parts of western New York, including Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, Niagara, and Orleans counties, from Saturday afternoon through Monday morning.

Heavy lake effect snow, reaching 1 to 3 feet in some areas, along with strong winds up to 65 mph, is expected.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo warns of significant blowing and drifting snow, leading to difficult to impossible travel conditions over the weekend.

A high wind warning is also in effect for Rochester and parts of western and central New York, with gusts up to 50-65 mph expected through Saturday night.

Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game postponed

The NFL, Buffalo Bills, New York State, and Erie County officials on Saturday postponed the AFC wild-card game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers to Monday at 4:30 p.m. due to the forecasted dangerous weather in Buffalo. The was scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

C ontact Robert Bell at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @byrobbell & Instagram:  @ byrobbell. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY Weather: Travel bans issued on NY Thruway, Erie County

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Travel Ban Updated In Erie County

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The historic storm that effectively shut down Buffalo and Western New York for several days has left a lasting impact on Western New York.

During the height of the storm, the Buffalo area has seen nearly 4 feet of snow, hurricane-force winds, sub-zero windchills, and below-freezing temperatures that left thousands of people without power and have, unfortunately, been the cause of several deaths.

To help prepare for the storm and give emergency crews an opportunity to get access to streets for repairs and clean up, State and Local officials issued a state of emergency, along with several different travels and driving bans around the area in an attempt to keep cars and people of the roads.

The original travel bans applied to all roads and highways in Erie County, some roads in neighboring counties, and the New York State Thruway. Also, snow and weather conditions resulted in the closure of the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport and the suspension of Metro Bus and Rail service throughout the area.

Weather conditions have improved enough in some areas for officials to adjust the travel ban rules, opening roads in some areas, while keeping roads closed in other areas.

According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz , the travel ban remains in effect for the Towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Evans, Hamburg, Orchard Park, and West Seneca, along with the Cities of Lackawanna and Buffalo. The restrictions are lifted for all other areas of the county. This includes the City and Town of Tonawanda, Kenmore, Grand Island, and other areas.

The New York State Thruway and other NYS highways like the 33, 219, and 400 remain closed until further notice. The Peace Bridge remains closed, while the Rainbow Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston bridges are open.

What Happens If You're Caught Driving During a Travel Ban

Multiple government officials have reminded people a few times that driving when travel is banned is a class 'B' misdemeanor.

Officials have also said that one of the major things that are hampering storm response is the large number of abandoned vehicles that are being left in the middle of the road, which when combined with the snow, leaves many roads impassable.

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Storm update: Driving ban still in effect for parts of Erie County

EVENING UPDATE: Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted the following travel updates:

•“The Driving Ban will be lifted in the Town of Amherst as of 7 pm. The Driving Ban will NOT be lifted for Buffalo, Lackawanna, and Cheektowaga during the overnight hours. Lackawanna and Cheektowaga will be revisited in the morning; Buffalo will continue through tomorrow.”

•“As of 5pm, we have lifted driving bans for the Town and Village of Hamburg, Village of Blasdell, and Town of Clarence; driving advisories remain for all municipalities not under a driving ban. All of Erie County remains under a State of Emergency.”

Image courtesy of Erie County

••••••••

UPDATE: Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted an updated travel ban/advisory map.

Erie County image

He said, "West Seneca's driving ban has been downgraded to a driving/travel advisory. Driving bans remain in the indicated areas of the map, and the State of Emergency remains in effect for all of Erie County."

And, "The driving ban in Evans has been downgraded to a driving advisory. The State of Emergency remains in effect for all of Erie County. Please continue to stay off the roads and allow emergency crews to do their work."

Poloncarz also noted, "It's ILLEGAL for employers to make employees violate a travel ban. If the employee OR work location is located in a travel ban area, employers can't make you come in unless you are truly essential/emergency personnel. Full service grocery store staff are considered essential."

City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown tweeted:

“The driving ban is still in effect in the City of Buffalo. We are asking people to stay off the roads so @BuffaloPoliceNy , the Buffalo Fire Department, and other first responders can safely and quickly rescue those in need.”

On Monday morning, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted:

“As of 7 AM, the Driving Ban will STILL be in effect for the cities of Buffalo and Lackawanna and the Towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Evans, Hamburg, Orchard Park and West Seneca. It is lifted for all other towns as of 7 AM. The Thruway and NYS route are still closed.”

The Buffalo Police Department tweeted:

“Storm Latest: The Travel Ban remains in effect in the City of Buffalo. Please do not drive at this time or you could face a summons. Alternate parking regulations on side streets has been suspended until further notice.”

At a 9:30 a.m. press conference, Poloncarz said the City of Buffalo is “impassable.” Road-clearing work has primarily been focused on providing access to hospitals and for emergency responders.

Initially, the Erie County medical examiner's office confirmed 25 blizzard-related deaths.

Poloncarz later provided this note:

“Very sadly, the @ECDOH Medical Examiner has confirmed another 2 deaths from the Blizzard. Total deaths are now 27. Of these: - 3 were from an EMS Delay; - 14 were found outside; - 3 were from shoveling/blowing cardiac events; - 4 were from no heat; & - 3 were in a vehicle.”

The county executive’s team also tweeted:

•"A State of Emergency is still in effect for all of Erie County. Even if driving bans have been lifted in some municipalities, this is still an active snow emergency. … Law enforcement in travel ban areas will resume ticketing for violating the ban. Cars are continuing to get stuck and blocking emergency responders and ambulances."

•“There is an expected 8-12" of snow through tomorrow in the most persistent snow band areas.”

Poloncarz noted most abandoned cars remain that way.

He didn't expect the driving ban to be lifted during the day.

With regard to power outages, Poloncarz said electricity has been restored to 13,000 residences.

His team tweeted:

•“National Grid: 12,000 customers still without power NYSEG: only 62 customers still without power.”

Also tweeted:

•“Please, please do not go out and try and shovel or snow blow in this storm - especially if you have a cardiac condition, regardless of age. This can be, and has been, fatal. …

“If you are able and it is safe to do so, please check on your neighbors. We are the City of Good Neighbors and we have had tremendous reports of community members being great neighbors.”

•“We are actively coordinating food efforts for shelters, emergency responders who have been stuck at stations/shops, and those who may be running out of food who have been stuck inside.”

•“Price gouging is illegal in an emergency situation. Independent snow contracts cannot price gouge to dig people out - it is a crime.”

•“One of the main reasons to continue to stay off the roads and adhere to the driving ban is to allow critical resources such as fuel and food to resupply hospitals, emergency crews, etc. per @ErieCountyESU .”

TOPS UPDATE

On Sunday night, Tops Friendly Markets Public and Media Relations Manager Kathy Sautter announced, “As we continue to assess our stores and current weather conditions, Tops has elected to NOT reopen any Erie County stores on Monday, Dec. 26, in the morning. We will, however, continue to evaluate the situation on a store-by-store basis as the day progresses and will update our social media pages with the details. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

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Supervisor Casilio declares State of Emergency

Town Supervisor Patrick Casilio has declared a STATE OF EMERGENCY beginning at 9:01 a.m., on Saturday, Jan. 13, due to emergency conditions resulting from the current WINTER WEATHER EVENT JANUARY 2024 that is affecting all or certain parts of the Town of Clarence. Such conditions threaten or imperil the public safety of the citizens of the Town of Clarence. All Town department heads have been directed to take whatever steps necessary to protect property, public infrastructure, and other such emergency assistance as deemed necessary. The State of Emergency will remain in effect until updated or rescinded.

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JUST IN: Travel Ban Will Go Into Place for Erie County Tonight

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Lake effect snow will soon be starting in Western New York, which will likely cripple travel in Erie County tonight and Sunday.

There's a Winter Storm Warning in effect for all of Western New York, along with a High Wind Warning.

The Winter Storm Warning ends at 3 pm on Sunday for Niagara County and 7 am on Monday for Erie County. Anywhere from 1-3 feet of snow is expected for Erie County, depending on where you live, according to the National Weather Service.

Because of the weather, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that a driving ban will be put in place for Erie County starting at 9 pm tonight.

The Bills playoff game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers has also been moved from 1 pm on Sunday to 4:30 pm on Monday.

The issue is the fact that getting to and from the game will dangerous. The lake effect snow and high winds (65 mph today) will cause whiteout conditions and the National Weather Service says travel will be difficult to impossible for those in the path of the lake effect snow band.

As for timing, the band will set up after 1 pm today and intensify late afternoon. The target looks to be just south of Buffalo, but the city and north towns will see the band creep up.

If you don't have to be anywhere this afternoon, do not travel. Lake effect snow can change on a dime.

Monday will see the lake effect snow move well south but the temperatures will be in the teens for Monday's Bills game.

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Travel ban remains in place for parts of Erie County; northern towns reduced to travel advisory Friday morning

ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County issued a state of emergency and travel ban for the county starting Thursday night, due to the incoming winter storm.

The state of emergency took effect as of 8 p.m. Thursday night, the travel ban was in effect at 9 p.m.

UPDATE: Travel bans were reduced to advisories for the rest of Erie County on Friday morning, including Grand Island, the Tonawandas, Amherst, Clarence, Newstead, Buffalo, Colden, Holland, Brant, North Collins, Collins, Concord and Sardinia. The rest of Erie County remains under a travel ban.

There is no NFTA bus service for the county on Friday, but the NFTA Metro Rail remains in service.

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Missouri and South Dakota Move Toward Abortion Rights Ballot Questions

Both states are reliably Republican and have abortion bans that are among the strictest in the nation.

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By Kate Zernike

Two more states with near-total abortion bans are poised to have citizen-sponsored measures on the ballot this year that would allow voters to reverse those bans by establishing a right to abortion in their state constitutions.

On Friday, a coalition of abortion rights groups in Missouri turned in 380,159 signatures to put the amendment on the ballot, more than double the 172,000 signatures required by law. The Missouri organizers’ announcement followed a petition drive in South Dakota that announced on Wednesday that it, too, had turned in many more signatures than required for a ballot amendment there.

Both groups are hoping to build on the momentum of other states where abortion rights supporters have prevailed in seven out of seven ballot measures in the two years since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had established a constitutional right to abortion for nearly five decades.

Groups in about 10 other states have secured spots on the ballot for abortion rights measures or are collecting signatures to do so. Those include Arizona and Nevada, swing states where Democrats are hoping that voters who are newly energized around abortion rights will help President Biden win re-election.

South Dakota and Missouri are reliably Republican states. But their bans are among the strictest in the nation, outlawing abortion except to save the life of a pregnant woman.

Missouri, where post-Roe polls show that a majority of voters want abortion to be legal in all or most cases, appears to offer abortion rights groups the bigger chance of success. But both measures face significant hurdles.

Republicans who control the Missouri legislature are pushing another ballot question that would appear before voters in August and make it harder for future ballot amendments to succeed.

That measure would raise the threshold for victory, requiring not only a majority of voters statewide but a majority of voters in five out of the state’s eight congressional districts. Abortion rights supporters fear the requirement would allow a minority in rural areas that tend to oppose abortion rights to vote down the amendment.

Missouri legislators are expected to vote on that measure before their session ends this month. State officials will also have to decide whether the abortion rights measure appears on the primary election ballot in August, when turnout tends to be light, or in the general election in November.

The state’s Republican leaders have attempted to keep the measure from going before voters for more than a year. The secretary of state, Jay Ashcroft, attempted to change the language of the ballot measure in ways that could have inflamed fears that it would lead to dangerous and unregulated abortions; supporters of the measure successfully sued to block him.

The amendment in Missouri i s similar to ones passed in Ohio and Michigan. It would establish “the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care,” including abortion. The Legislature could regulate abortion after the point when, “in the good faith judgment” of the treating health care professional, the fetus could survive outside the uterus without “extraordinary medical measures.”

In South Dakota, getting the signatures certified could be a challenge because Republican legislators passed a law in March allowing signers to withdraw their support. Backers of the amendment collected about 55,000 signatures, 20,000 more than needed, but anti-abortion groups are working to collect enough reversals to keep the measure off the ballot.

The amendment effort in South Dakota has been largely driven by one group, Dakotans for Health. Planned Parenthood and other usual allies of abortion rights have declined to support the effort. The groups say that the ballot amendment leaves open the possibility that the legislature could continue to regulate abortion so heavily that the amendment would allow, in the words of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, “abortion in name only.”

The South Dakota amendment would prohibit the state from regulating “a pregnant woman’s abortion decision and its effectuation” during the first trimester, but would allow regulations on the procedure during the second trimester only in ways that are “reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman.” In the third trimester, the state could regulate and even ban abortion, as long as the ban included exceptions for the “life or health of the pregnant woman.”

South Dakota is one of a handful of states where polls show that less than a majority of voters — 47 percent in a recent survey — believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. (The other states in that same survey were North Dakota, Arkansas, Idaho, and Utah.)

Kate Zernike is a national reporter at The Times. More about Kate Zernike