Downstate politicians push nanny-state measure to require snow removal from vehicle roofs
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is out today criticizing the recent report that three bills, A.1862, A.1584 and S.243, to mandate that New Yorkers remove snow from the roofs of their vehicles, are gaining traction and will most likely be reintroduced in the upcoming legislative session. The threshold for the amount of snow and ice that must be removed is not specifically mentioned. Most of these bills are sponsored by members of the Legislature from New York City, its suburbs or Long Island.
“This is a perfect example of how myopic some downstate representatives are,” Hawley said. “My district lies in the snow belt where people sometimes can’t even open their front doors after a big storm, let alone shovel all the snow off of their vehicles. These bills would place a large burden on our trucking and transportation industries, where drivers, usually on a tight schedule, would have to climb to the top of their rigs and shovel off feet of snow, placing them in a dangerous situation.
“This is a case where my ‘Two New Yorks’ bill would be useful. I have been calling for a ballot referendum on the simple of question of ‘Do you support the division of New York into two separate states?’ for many years now because of the legislative, cultural and economic divide that is so apparent. If New York City and the surrounding areas want to enact such a measure, then they should be able to, but leave upstate New York alone.”
