Who’s Allowed To Drive During A Travel Ban In Buffalo?

It’s not the first time Western New York has seen some fierce winter weather this year (we all saw those seats filled to the brim with snow at the Bills game on Sunday), and you can make a sure bet that it won’t be the last. 

That being said, it’s always good to be prepared when a blast of snowy, windy weather is headed our way. 

The National Weather Service  is calling for snow showers throughout much of Erie County beginning early Wednesday morning, with the odds increasing throughout Wednesday night into Thursday, bringing chilling wind blasts of up to 33 mph. We’ll also likely see the white stuff throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend, with temperatures finally warming up early next week.

Sure, we’ve seen worse; but that doesn’t make traveling on Western New York roads during a winter storm any less challenging. The question is, if the winter weather becomes severe enough to ignite a travel advisory or a travel ban, will you be able to get where you need to go? 

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Who Is Allowed To Drive During A Travel Ban In Erie County?

If the City of Buffalo or Erie County deems the forecast severe enough to call for a travel ban, the only people allowed to drive where the ban is in effect are “essential” workers. No exceptions. 

If your profession isn’t deemed as “essential” in Erie County, it’s not just frowned upon to be on the roads– it’s illegal, with the consequences being a Class B misdemeanor and a $500 fine.

Not to mention that cars that shouldn’t be on the road make it much more difficult for utility vehicles to keep the roads clear, and for first responders to get to a potential emergency.

List Of Essential Workers In Erie County

Erie Country has created the Essential Employee Exemption Portal to determine who and who isn’t allowed to be on the road during a travel ban, dividing workers into a 3-tiered system. Organizations whose employees could qualify to drive during a travel ban are required to fill out a form and submit it to Erie County before their workers hit the road.

Only some occupations and businesses are deemed essential here in Erie County. Keep scrolling to see a list of the ONLY occupations allowed to drive if there’s a travel ban in place.