Detroit side streets are left glazed over with ice as city prioritizes main roads
Detroit side streets are left glazed with ice as residents cope carefully
The city says there is not enough resources and manpower to salt all the neighborhood streets, and that the main roads are the priority.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - On Detroit’s west side, you should probably wear ice skates instead of boots - many of the streets there are caked over with ice. c
While working on another story, FOX 2 noticed some of the city’s side streets are more ice than asphalt.
After a couple of attempts to flag drivers down, we met a car full of folks at Ashton and Vassar.
FOX 2: "We want to talk with people about driving on these streets because it’s icy out here."
"They’re slippery," the driver said. "They need to get some salt out here because it’s bad."
The city says there are not enough resources and manpower to salt all the neighborhood streets, and that the main roads are the priority.
The only exception is if a water main breaks, and there is a possibility of it causing the street to freeze over.
The bottom line is that some side streets will remain icy until the weather warms up enough to melt it.
"They’re always like this. I’ve been living over here my whole life." said another driver. "Every year, the snow comes. it will always be like this."
This time, the icy streets came from last weekend’s winter storm. Snow blanketed Metro Detroit, and the below-freezing temperatures froze what was left behind.
"Black ice - you can't see the ice," said a passenger.
"That’s why when I came up, I came up hitting my breaks early because I knew I was going to slide," the driver said.
One driver told us that even with new tires and all-wheel drive, it’s a gamble.
"You just got to drive slow even in the daytime like now. drive slow on back streets," he said.
That’s good advice. Driving experts also say to ease up on the gas, don’t slam the brakes.
If you slide, drive into the skid, and be patient. it’s better to get to your destination late, than not at all.
