Frustration mounts across Milwaukee over snow-clogged streets

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Frustration is mounting across Milwaukee Tuesday, as residents deal with streets clogged with snow.

The city is deploying specialized equipment to help clear narrow streets.

It has also declared a new snow emergency to have people park on one side of the street.

On South 18th St., about five blocks south of Lincoln Avenue, neighbors said the snowplows don't come.

They say they've moved their cars and shoveled as best they can, but feel ignored by the city.

"They couldn't get through because all the cars are parked on both sides of the streets," said Margaret Santiago.

Santiago said her sister stopped parking here because of all the snow. Several neighbors came out all at once to share their frustration.

"The plow to come through this street, rarely -- it happens every year, and nobody comes to this," said resident Alberto Aguilar.

Aguilar helped translate for his neighbors. He said cars get stuck, crash into each other, and no one will get rid of a buried car, parked on the street for eight months.

"These cars where they're parked, it's because the people did it with their own hands," said Aguilar.

Aguilar said they've called their alderman, Jose Perez, but nothing gets done.

In the Marquette neighborhood, snow is piled around cars that haven't moved, preventing plows from coming through. Alderman Bob Bauman said the city has 48 hours to clear the streets before the weather turns for the worse.

"That snow freezes solid as concrete," said Bauman.

He said cars parked on the wrong side of the streets are causing many of the problems.

"If the street is impassable to the plow, then the city is kind of stuck," said Bauman.

Alderwoman Chantia Lewis said she's also been inundated with calls for help from her constituents. She plans to introduce a pilot program in front of the council to hire small contractors and Milwaukee Public Schools students to form a secondary plowing operation.

"We can get real small business contractors to come behind the plow, to be able to dig out those driveways, those cul de sacs and those alleyways," said Lewis.

She said the program wouldn't get started until later this year if it's approved.

The snow emergency starts at 10, cars need to park on the even side of the street Tuesday night.