It\u2019s unbe-leaf-able.<\/p>\n
The city is bizarrely using massive potted plants in Queens to prevent illegal parking in front of fire hydrants \u2014 only to thwart FDNY trucks and Bravest during emergencies, according to fuming pols and locals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe placement of these planters is totally negligent, and I don\u2019t understand how anyone could have looked at this and thought it was a good idea,\u201d said City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens), accusing the agency of \u201cendangering the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Potted plants owned by the city Transportation Department block fire hydrants in Queens, local pols and residents say.<\/p>\n
The city Transportation Department\u2019s planter program has been around for a few years, but Ariola, chair of the council\u2019s Committee on Fire and Emergency Management, said she only found out about it after receiving complaints from constituents this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn an emergency, every second counts, and the precious time wasted by having to move these planters out of the way could be the difference for life and death when someone is trapped in a fire,\u201d she told The Post.<\/p>\n
Jackson Heights resident Julia Silber said the heavy pots have also at times blocked fire trucks trying to turn onto 34th Avenue in her neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey cannot fit and have to go back and forth trying to maneuver,\u201d she said, recalling that the planters popped up about five years ago for a COVID-era Open Streets program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do pose a danger, and we have reported it to the DOT many times,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe placement of these planters is totally negligent,\u201d local Councilwoman Joann Ariola told The Post. Office of Council Member Joann Ariola<\/p>\n
A local resident association blasted the initiative in a September 2022 video<\/a> showing firefighters unable to maneuver streets because of the large flowerpots as they reportedly responded to a child with head trauma at a school.<\/p>\n Another video posted to YouTube by the resident group Voices of Jackson Heights in May 2023 depicts several firefighters struggling to move a heavy planter<\/a>, though it wasn\u2019t clear whether they were responding to an emergency at the time.<\/p>\n Several recent photos provided to The Post show the heavy pots \u2014 which require multiple people to move \u2014 blocking fire hydrants.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes no sense to rely on firefighters to move them,\u201d Queens city Councilman Philip Wong added. Office of Council Member Joann Ariola<\/p>\n DOT reps argued that the program actually calls for the planters to be placed at least 15 feet from fire hydrants so as not to hinder emergency response.<\/p>\n \u201cThese sidewalk extensions both help ensure vehicles are traveling at safe speeds along the 34th Avenue Open Street and prevent cars from blocking hydrants,\u201d a DOT representative said.<\/p>\n The agency said it coordinated with the FDNY on its design and placements of the \u201cnot easily movable\u201d planters to make sure emergency access wasn\u2019t blocked.<\/p>\n But when asked about the photos of the floral faux pas, the representative acknowledged the \u201cplanters appear several feet out of place\u201d and that the agency would work to immediately fix the positions.<\/p>\n The DOT acknowledged that some of the \u201cplanters appear several feet out of place\u201d and said the agency is working to immediately fix the positions. DOT<\/p>\n Residents said it can sometimes take days for the DOT to respond to respond to reports of the planters blocking fire hydrants.<\/p>\n \u201cThese planters are very heavy, but sometimes they are accidentally moved by a car,\u201d Silber said. \u201cIf [a planter] by a hydrant, we report it to the DOT, but sometimes it takes them days to move it away from the hydrant.\u201d<\/p>\n Hey @NYC_DOT<\/a> this is one of the fire hydrants that is blocked by a planter that you said you moved on 34th Ave. <\/p>\n I don\u2019t think this is 15 feet away from the hydrant. pic.twitter.com\/tIEuhJq6Xp<\/a><\/p>\n\n