Complaints about parked vehicles blocking fireplace hydrants have greater than doubled because the begin of the pandemic — with critics blaming the surge on bike lanes and even a scarcity of cops, information present.
The variety of 311 calls on blocked hydrants has been skyrocketing for years, with 11,886 reviews in 2014 ballooning to 64,346 in 2020 to greater than 100,000 yearly since, in response to an evaluation of metropolis knowledge by The Submit.
A whopping 105,155 calls have been made in 2021 — 63.4% improve from a yr earlier, with the quantity persevering with to climb to 127,751 in 2022 and 134,377 in 2023, the information confirmed.
Final yr noticed a modest dip in complaints with 134,026 calls in complete. Since Jan. 1, there have already been practically 18,000 calls this yr.
The staggering numbers come after fireplace officers blame blocked hydrants for delayed response occasions to 2 deadly blazes within the Massive Apple final week.
“We have seen two fires in the past week that have resulted in fatalities where the firefighters were unable to access the closest fire hydrant to that fire,” stated Queens Metropolis Council member Joann Ariola, who’s drafting laws to impose harsher penalties and computerized summonses for blocking hydrants.
“Every second counts when people’s lives are at stake, and I believe that legislation that makes penalties higher and gives citizens the ability to report those who refuse to follow the law will be a big deterrent,” the council member added.
One deliberate invoice would improve the positive for blocking a hydrant from $115 to $1,000, she stated. One other invoice would enable customers to submit 311 movies of autos blocking a hearth hydrant, leading to computerized summonses for the car proprietor, she added.
In a letter to Metropolis Corridor final week, one resident group — the Ozone Park Residents Block Affiliation — blamed the “serious citywide problem” on the NYPD officer scarcity, which “has led to slower enforcement of parking violations.”
“In some cases, by the time officers arrive, the offending vehicle has already left,” the letter reads. “This is unacceptable, and it has now resulted in the potential loss of life.”
Fewer New York Metropolis residents are driving as nicely, in response to census knowledge, with 43.8% of households gaining access to a number of autos in 2023, in comparison with 45.6% in 2013.
Ariola’s workplace pointed to Division of Transportation initiatives like bike racks and guarded bike lanes which have allegedly devoured up parking within the boroughs as presumably contributing to the skyrocketing complaints.
“People are desperate for parking,” a spokesperson for Ariola’s workplace advised The Submit. “That’s a very large increase [in complaints] … all the parking is being taken away.”
The spokesperson added that recently-enacted Intro 104, which requires the DOT to seek the advice of with native firehouses earlier than approving open streets and a few bicycle lane initiatives, was drafted after discussions with the FDNY over its problem reaching condominium buildings with ladders as “they’re now two lanes further out than they should’ve been because of the bike lanes.”
The DOT pushed again on that evaluation, with a rep noting there are roughly 3 million on-street parking areas within the metropolis. DOT’s Open Streets don’t require eradicating any present areas.
“Protected bike lanes are a proven life-saving tool that reorganizes a tiny fraction of our collective street space to make our roads safer for everyone—and neither of the two recent fires in the Bronx or Brooklyn occurred on streets with protected bike lanes or in neighborhoods with a high number of protected bike lanes,” a repo advised The Submit.
FDNY members have additionally advised Ariola’s workplace that they have to use a specialised hose when a car blocks a hydrant.
The sentiment was echoed in a brand new public service announcement launched by the FDNY days after a lethal Feb. 9 fireplace in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn – which noticed “delays” in firefighting response after two autos blacked the 2 closest hydrants to the blaze, making it more durable for firefighters to deal with the flames capturing out of the roof.
“It’s illegal to park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant,” the FDNY stated. “Seconds matter in an emergency, and blocking a hydrant could delay firefighters when responding.”
Days after the Brooklyn fireplace, firefighters bumped into the identical problem whereas battling a blaze at a Buddhist temple within the Bronx on Wednesday. The hearth claimed two people, The Submit beforehand reported.
“I’m begging New Yorkers in all five boroughs: Please do not leave your cars on hydrants,” FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker stated in a press release after the Bay Ridge fireplace, which claimed a 37-year-old Navy veteran.
“This is a fatal fire, and there’s no doubt that the cars that were parked on the hydrants have slowed down our members from engaging in firefighting tactics,” Tucker added.
