CM Ariola holds hearing on FDNY response delays due to DOT street changes

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.

“The way FDNY is finding out about things is not from the DOT,” Ariola said during the meeting. “It is from our offices, this committee, and the complaints that we get from our constituents… there is a blatant disregard for the safety of the people of the City of New York when you’re putting planters in front of fire hydrants.”

However, a NYC DOT representative disputed Ariola’s claim, stating that every bike lane and Open Street location is coordinated with FDNY. Ariola has been critical of the Open Streets program and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s initiative to build more protected bike lanes across the streets of New York.

“For too long, our streets have been designed around the convenience of cars rather than the safety of people. Protected bike lanes save lives. They reduce injuries for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike. They calm traffic, make our streets more predictable, and bring more foot traffic to commercial corridors,” said a spokesperson for the Mayor. “We are committed to building and expanding protected bike lanes across New York City as a matter of public safety and public health. Safe streets are not a luxury. They are a basic responsibility of city government.”

Both Ariola and FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods were critical of the Open Streets program for creating navigating roads around the City difficult and overall delaying emergency response times. NYC DOT Associate Deputy Commissioner Sean Quinn attended the hearing and stated that NYC DOT employees “did an on-site with the local [fire]house, and have moved all the barricades that they indicated were issues post-implementation.”

The on-site regarding the “curbside obstructions” occurred in Brooklyn Heights, and a local firefighter later testified the changes made had not solved the issue. Woods later clarified in the hearing that he was not opposed to protected bike lanes in general and that FDNY would be contributing more staff to work with DOT on project reviews to continue improving cross-agency collaboration.

Posts and other elements FDNY representatives stated would block curbside access during an emergency. Courtesy of Joann Ariola’s Office

“I’ve heard from all of my members from around the city that these planters and bike lanes have been put up without enough input from the department or the local firehouse,” said Andy Ansbro, President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. “None of these changes should be made until there is a full review by a trained department unit in coordination with the DOT.”

Ariola later concluded she will be introducing new legislation that will require an in-depth study on the “impact of DOT-related delays” on FDNY response times and its correlation with fire intensity, as Woods stated that even a 30-second delay can seriously increase a fire’s growth and destruction.