NEW YORK, NY--
Today, Friday, November 16, 2018, at the George Washington Bridge entrance, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chair of the Transportation Committee and Council Member Antonio Reynoso, Chair of the Committee on Sanitation, joined by Assembly Member Carmen De La Rosa, announced that they are planning to hold a joint City Council hearing with the Committees on Transportation, Sanitation, and Public Safety in the coming weeks.
Last night, the City of New York was at a standstill due to the lack of preparedness and inter-agency coordination resulting in paralyzing traffic, 1,900 automobile accidents, the closure of the George Washington Bridge, fallen trees, shutdowns of transit hubs, subway and bus delays. The upcoming hearing will request testimony from the City Departments of Transportation, Sanitation, Parks and Recreation, the NYPD, and the MTA. More than an internal review needs to be accomplished. Residents of New York City deserve an explanation and public evaluation of the internal disaster that resulted in anywhere between 5-10 hours to commute home.
"The City of New York was not prepared for the first snowfall and it is unacceptable that we had the George Washington Bridge closure, multiple traffic crashes, streets neglected and not plowed. The compounded events that transpired yesterday demonstrate the immediate need to improve our inter-agency coordination, we demand answers to the lack of response, and we owe it to our residents to provide comprehensive approach to inclement weather so that are residents are safe. As Chair of the Committee on Transportation, I will work with my Council colleagues to focus on next steps to ensure this is not repeated," said
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez.
"The staggering vehicular traffic and significant delays on public transportation that ensued as a result of yesterday's snow posed great safety risks to New Yorkers and raised questions about our City's preparedness in handling inclement weather," said
Council Member Antonio Reynoso. "As Chair of the Sanitation Committee, I will be working with Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez, Public Safety Committee Chair Donovan Richards and other Council Colleagues in the coming weeks to investigate yesterday's response, and ensure that future inclement weather is met with a more coordinated and efficient response."
"The response to the storm yesterday was a failure on the part of the authorities of our city. We have the capacity and the resources to have prevented the chaos that took place last night for so many New Yorkers. People were stuck in their cars for hours, also the long delays in our subway system and the buses without being able to advance. Our community in Upper Manhattan was greatly affected by the closure of the George Washington Bridge. This response is unacceptable and we must investigate what happened so that it does not happen again." said
Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa.
