Letters to the Editor
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
‘Midtown Mayhem as Pipe Eruption Kills One, Injures Many’
Having experienced both last week’s East Side steam pipe explosion and September 11 first-hand, I am astonished that the city still lacks permanent, physically separated emergency vehicle lanes on major streets [New York, “Midtown Mayhem as Pipe Eruption Kills One, InjuresMany,”July19,2007]. When my co-workers and I ran out of our office after hearing last week’s explosion, we were dismayed to see ambulances and fire trucks stuck in gridlock.
Although some city streets already claim bus and emergency vehicle lanes, only the addition of physical barriers and stiff penalties would deter aggressive drivers. During “normal” times, buses and bicyclists could use these lanes, vastly improving speed and safety.
Will we have to wait for another September 11 before we learn that gridlock can cost lives?
CHRIS MARK
New York, N.Y.
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