Blocked NYC fire hydrant complaints doubled since pandemic as bike lanes, lack of cops may be to blame
Complaints about parked cars blocking fire hydrants have more than doubled since the start of the pandemic — with critics blaming the surge on bike lanes and even a lack of cops, records show.
The number of 311 calls on blocked hydrants has been skyrocketing for years, with 11,886 reports in 2014 ballooning to 64,346 in 2020 to more than 100,000 every year since, according to an analysis of city data by The Post.
A whopping 105,155 calls were made in 2021 — 63.4% increase from a year earlier, with the number continuing to climb to 127,751 in 2022 and 134,377 in 2023, the data showed.
Last year saw a modest dip in complaints with 134,026 calls in total. Since Jan. 1, there have already been nearly 18,000 calls this year.
The staggering numbers come after fire officials blame blocked hydrants for delayed response times to two fatal blazes in the Big Apple last 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,” said Queens City Council member Joann Ariola, who is drafting legislation to impose harsher penalties and automatic 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 planned bill would increase the fine for blocking a hydrant from $115 to $1,000, she said. Another bill would allow users to submit 311 videos of vehicles blocking a fire hydrant, resulting in automatic summonses for the vehicle owner, she added.
In a letter to City Hall last week, one resident group — the Ozone Park Residents Block Association — blamed the “serious citywide problem” on the NYPD officer shortage, 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 City residents are driving as well, according to census data, with 43.8% of households having access to one or more vehicles in 2023, compared to 45.6% in 2013.
Ariola’s office pointed to Department of Transportation projects like bike racks and protected bike lanes that have allegedly gobbled up parking in the boroughs as possibly contributing to the skyrocketing complaints.
“People are desperate for parking,” a spokesperson for Ariola’s office told The Post. “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 consult with local firehouses before approving open streets and some bicycle lane projects, was drafted after discussions with the FDNY over its difficulty reaching apartment buildings with ladders as “they’re now two lanes further out than they should’ve been because of the bike lanes.”
The DOT pushed back on that assessment, with a rep noting there are roughly 3 million on-street parking spaces in the city. DOT’s Open Streets do not require removing any existing spaces.
“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 told The Post.
FDNY members have also told Ariola’s office that they must use a specialized hose when a vehicle blocks a hydrant.
The sentiment was echoed in a new public service announcement released by the FDNY days after a deadly Feb. 9 fire in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn – which saw “delays” in firefighting response after two vehicles blacked the two closest hydrants to the blaze, making it harder for firefighters to handle the flames shooting out of the roof.
“It’s illegal to park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant,” the FDNY said. “Seconds matter in an emergency, and blocking a hydrant could delay firefighters when responding.”
Days after the Brooklyn fire, firefighters ran into the same issue while battling a blaze at a Buddhist temple in the Bronx on Wednesday. The fire claimed two individuals, The Post previously reported.
“I’m begging New Yorkers in all five boroughs: Please do not leave your cars on hydrants,” FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said in a statement after the Bay Ridge fire, 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.
