During a hearing of the New York City Council’s Committee on Fire and Emergency Management on Feb. 25, the committee’s chair Council Member Joann Ariola listened to testimony from members of the Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and FDNY and members of the public regarding the delays in emergency response times that result from the increased use of protected bike lanes and Open Streets across the city.
According to Ariola and several FDNY employees and advocates at the hearing, the placement of certain barricades and planters has been blocking fire hydrant access needed for FDNY operations and slowing down emergency response times.
