City disables snowplow tracker due to high demand

On December 2, Cincinnati experienced its first significant snowfall of the season, prompting residents to check which streets had been cleared. The city's upgraded snowplow tracking system quickly became overloaded as a result of the high number of users, forcing officials to temporarily take it offline.

"Ironically, the Snowplow Tracker is facing issues today because too many people are using it at once," said Councilman Seth Walsh. "This is actually a positive sign that the system is widely used, and we are working to resolve it promptly."

The move comes after criticism over slow snow removal last winter, which pushed city leaders to enhance their winter response strategies. Earlier in October, City Manager Sheryl Long and Mayor Aftab Pureval announced a $1.6 million investment in new equipment, including upgrades to the snowplow tracker, enabling residents to monitor plowing progress in real time.

During the early hours of December 2, the tracker map struggled to load, and by 9:35 a.m., the city announced it was offline due to server issues. Mollie Lair, a spokesperson for the City Manager, emphasized that snow removal itself was proceeding effectively.

Despite the initial technical hiccup, city officials remain confident that the improvements made to the snow removal system will enhance Cincinnati's ability to respond to winter storms.

Author: Harper Simmons