LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington residents on unranked snow removal roads are still struggling to navigate dangerous conditions two weeks after the latest winter storm, with some calling the city's response "unacceptable."
Soni Cantrell-Smith and Louise Tallen, who live on Pine Meadow Court, said the past two weeks have been a nightmare. Despite living just off the relatively clear Mason-Headley Road, they've been trapped by impassable conditions on their own street.
"We couldn't get out for the first four or five days. And we have all wheel drive. It was just too dangerous," Tallen said. "And then after that, people without all wheel drive are having trouble because when we did salt there were ruts and then the ice was was so high that when we drove the sedan it scraped the bottom of the car."
The dangerous conditions have led to serious injuries in the neighborhood. One resident fell and broke her hip while also suffering a concussion due to the icy conditions.
"Unacceptable is a really great word. I'm just disappointed in the city," Cantrell-Smith said.
The complaints from Pine Meadow Court residents echo frustrations heard throughout Lexington, where many neighborhoods on unranked roads have dealt with difficult and dangerous conditions for weeks.
At a press conference last Tuesday, LEX 18's Annie Brown asked Nancy Albright, the city's commissioner for public works and environmental quality, if Lexington would reassess its road treatment ranking system.
"I will be looking at the ranked system and how we will be making improvements going forward," Albright said.
For residents like Cantrell-Smith and Tallen, changes to the system could make all the difference when the next winter storm hits.
"Do better. Do better," Cantrell-Smith said.
