Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A travel ban remains in effect for South Buffalo (as depicted above) after lake effect snow swept through the area Wednesday morning, dumping snow at a rate of four inches per-hour, according to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
This travel ban includes neighborhoods like South Buffalo, Kaisertown, Lovejoy and the Old First Ward.
"As of noon, we have approximately 200 pieces of snow fighting equipment on city streets. A lot of that equipment is concentrated in the Southern portion of the city. The focus is on the areas that are included in the travel ban," said Mayor Brown during his 12 p.m. EST briefing with the media.
Meanwhile, a travel advisory remains in effect for the rest of the city. Mayor Brown urges residents to not make any unnecessary trips, especially after 3 p.m. EST when the lake effect snow band is expected to dip back Southward.
"If you don't need to go outside, please don't go outside," Mayor Brown said.
"This will keep people and their families safe, but it also keeps streets clear of traffic so we can do the work that we need to do to open up roads, and to get back to normal as quickly as possible."
City Hall remains closed to the public, as only essential personnel were able to gain access to the building.
Three of the city's nine Emergency Warming Shelters are open for people who do not have shelter. Those three locations are the Tosh Collins Community Center, Peter Machnica Community Center and the JFK Recreational Center. Mayor Brown says more locations may open, depending on conditions that are seen later in the day.
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Meanwhile, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia says traffic has been light in the areas with a travel ban in the city, but says it needs to be lighter.
"We have officers out, we are enforcing the travel ban. We will be writing summonses as we have when the travel ban was in place over the weekend," said Gramaglia. "You're not seeing snow right now, the band has shifted, but that does not mean you can go out and drive. What that means is give DPW operators the opportunity to go out and clear snow. If you go out and you get in the way, you are hampering those activities. When the snow band comes back, it's going to make it that much worse."