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Cuomo: Snow-related travel ban on roads, subway to shut down

NEW YORK (AP) - Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the New York City metro area's entire transportation infrastructure from roadways to railroads would be shut down late Monday night in advance of the worst part of a huge storm barreling into the area.

A travel ban on all roads in 13 counties including New York City, Westchester and Long Island was to go into effect at 11 p.m., along with the shutdown of the city's subway system and commuter rails.

Cuomo said only emergency personnel would be allowed on roadways after that point. Anyone else caught driving would get a summons for up to $300.

The governor said the ban was a safety precaution, to avoid potential dangerous situations of drivers getting stranded in their vehicles.

Cuomo said motorists were stranded on snowy roads for 24 hours in other storms.

"We learned the lesson the hard way," he said Monday afternoon in announcing the ban. "We'd rather be safe than sorry. ... It is already very, very difficult out there."

"Whatever we are looking at now will be exponentially worse tomorrow," Cuomo said. The most severe part of the storm was expected Tuesday.

The subway system shutdown allows subway cars to be put away safely in places where they can be put back in service more quickly when the storm is over.

"The good news is, the sun will come out again," Cuomo said. "We just don't know when."

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