From the NY Post:
City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Queens) is calling on the Department of Transportation to create an emergency-services lane along the entire length of Queens Boulevard, once dubbed “Boulevard of Death” for its high rate of pedestrian fatalities.
Vallone — chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee and a potential candidate for Queens borough president next year — wants one lane in each direction of the boulevard marked “Emergency Lane,” so motorists know to get out of the way for flashing lights and sirens.
“In Manhattan they have these lanes and when you hear sirens you know exactly what lane to leave open, but as you sit on Queens Boulevard, where the traffic is just as bad, motorists have no idea what lane to leave empty,” Vallone said.
“I spoke to one ambulance corps who said an emergency lane would cut their response times and I’m not sure why the city thinks emergencies only occur in Manhattan and not in the outer boroughs.”
The councilman sent the DOT a letter last week requesting the lane markings.
13 comments:
I don't know of any such lanes within NYC. Google "manhattan emergency lanes" and all you get is this news story.
Remember wgen motorists actually moved to the right to yield to emergency vehicles? Bring backZero-Tolerance!
Why couldn't DOT think of this on their own?
Pure incompetance.
They're called fire lanes.
Woodhaven boulevard has them as does Cross Bay Boulevard. Trouble is no one moves out of them andt the emergency vehicle usually has to use any lane he can by weaving in and out of traffic.
Keep up this Vallone fluff Crappy you just might get his 'magic' on the rest of the boro.
If this man gives two shits about this, why is he putting many tens of thousands of new residents at risk in his district by channeling dozens of 40 story building as new development on a 2 lane Vernon Blvd in Raveswood and a 2 lane 27th Ave on Astoria peninsula.
His district's population has doubled over the years while hospitals closed and the power grid was starved for the hipsters on the waterfront.
Where was this idea when St John's Hospital on the corner of Queens Blvd and Woodhaven was still open?
This is a dumb idea. The benefit for a handful of runs by fire, emt, and police doesn't outweigh with the traffic nightmare it would cause.
Running TV/Radio commercials to say: (1) the main surface roads have fire lanes,
(2) if you are in one and there is an emergency vehicle behind you, move to the left or right.
(3) if you are next to a fire lane, let the cars and trucks enter your lane.
I think its the third point that people don't get.
You can bet the city will do this anyway -- because its a possible revenue stream from the fines the will happen as people will drive in the "emergency lane". And off-duty NYPD, FDNY, and anyone with an emergency flasher will love this as well.
"...emergenicies only in Manhattan" -and Williamsburgh, let's not forget. These are the only places where people worth saving live, dontcha know...
Make it a combo bike lane and you'll see how fast the DOT will be painting the markings down.
On a related note, the homeless man who has been living on the streets very close (in view of his front door) to Vallones office is finally gone. He passed away a few days ago. Vallone did NOTHING to help this guy, get him off the sidewalk, get the help he needed.
How do you know that? You can't force people who don't want help to take it. Unless they are violent, they can't be committed.
If it wasn't for the fawning local press Vallone would be pretty much a no-show in his area.
The guy always has a distracted expression and can never seem to look you in the eye.
Considering how over development has left his district noticeably more chocked with traffic in the past few years him taking a stand on something like this is so much bullshit.
Its like weighing in on the Fat Boy in front of borough hall while the Steinway mansion rots.
All he ever seems to do is posturing.
Yea, but go to Vallone's website - no boring legislation crap there - only biker posin' and guitar playin'
Hell I just slip a tape in of his playin' on my Dodge Ram as we go off to another day of work at yet another Astoria construction site.
He's got my vote. Just wish I lived in his district (well no, not really - the wife and kids you know)
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