City Plans Heavy Response For Light Snowfall

This time around, city officials seem determined not to be caught off guard — even by a relatively modest forecast of two to three inches of snow.

Salt spreaders were spotted early on thoroughfares such as the Grand Central Parkway and feeder roads like the Horace Harding Expressway, all in an attempt to stay ahead of a storm that promised to pack nowhere near the punch of last month's .

To ensure a more prompt response by snow trucks this time around, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the pilot installation of Global Positioning Devices in city Department of Sanitation vehicles.

"It gives us the ability to check on the location and progress of our snowplows or garbage pickup," Bloomberg said. "These GPS devices will also allow two-way communication, giving our Sanitation workers a way to contact their district supervisors if they experience problems or spot something unusual out in the field."

However, it seemed unlikely that the latest GPS innovation would do much to quiet speculation over allegations regarding Sanitation supervisors intentionally slowing down snow removal efforts. 

Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, directly referred to made to his office by borough Sanitation workers and Department of Transportation supervisors assigned to clearing city streets after the recent blizzard.

“I call on the city to organize a thorough clean-up, and to remember the outer boroughs and our residential streets," Halloran said. "And I call on the handful of supervisors who betrayed the New Yorkers they serve to do their jobs.”

A hearing on the city's response to the storm is scheduled for Monday.