By Evan Simko-Bednarski
New York Daily News
NEW YORK 鈥� In their most dire moments 鈥� waiting for an ambulance, a fire truck or the police 鈥� Manhattanites are .
That鈥檚 the conclusion of a report expected Friday from State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and former city Traffic Commissioner 鈥淕ridlock鈥� Sam Schwartz , who found that vehicle speeds in Midtown and lower Manhattan are slower than they鈥檝e ever been 鈥� and that鈥檚 causing across all agencies to rise to record levels.
Using GPS data from taxicabs and other , Schwartz estimates the average speed of vehicular traffic in Midtown to be just 4.8 mph. The average speed of traffic in all of Manhattan south of 60th St. is slightly faster, but not by much 鈥� vehicles average 6.9 mph.
鈥淪ince 1971 we started regularly collecting [traffic speed] data,鈥� Schwartz told the Daily News . 鈥淭hese are astoundingly low speeds 鈥� and they鈥檙e dangerous.鈥�
Hoylman-Sigal 鈥� who represents Manhattan鈥檚 West Side 鈥� told the News that he became concerned about emergency response time after he happened upon a man 鈥渨rithing in pain鈥� on W. 28th St. .
鈥淲e dialed 911 repeatedly,鈥� he said of himself and a group of bystanders. 鈥淲e tried to flag down a private vehicle, and ran to different corners of the block hoping to see an emergency vehicle appear.
鈥淎nd one didn鈥檛 until 37 minutes later,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just find it unacceptable.鈥�
Hoylman-Sigal said he鈥檚 since checked up on the man, who has recovered.
Citywide, crawling traffic has over the past decade, Schwartz and Hoylman-Sigal said.
EMS average response times to life-threatening situations has climbed from roughly 9 minutes and 40 seconds in 2014 to 12 minutes and 26 seconds this year, a 29 percent increase, according to the report. City data show increased travel time is responsible for a minute and a half of the added delay.
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The NYPD鈥檚 responses to so-called 鈥渃ritical鈥� incidents 鈥� like shootings, robberies or burglaries 鈥� has gone up 23 percent over the same period, from just under 8 minutes in 2014 to 9 minutes and 41 seconds in 2024. Most of that difference 鈥� 1 minute and 23 seconds 鈥� can be ascribed to increased travel time.
The FDNY鈥檚 medical emergency response time has soared in 10 years, up from 8 minutes and 19 seconds to 14 minutes and 16 seconds 鈥� a 72 percent climb. Increased travel time due to traffic accounts for 2 minutes of that 6-minute delay.
It was not immediately clear what other factors have contributed to the dramatic increase in the FDNY鈥檚 medical response time, but the mayor鈥檚 yearly management report said the department was currently working to reduce turnaround times while dropping patients off at local hospitals.
In emergencies, minutes matter, Schwartz and Hoylman-Sigal contend, citing multiple studies indicating that an extra minute or two in travel can be the difference between survival or recovery in or cardiac arrest incidents.
鈥淣ew Yorkers and visitors are at an increased risk every day due to worsening traffic congestion,鈥� the report states. 鈥淢uch of the added delay [in emergency response times] is due to worsening traffic congestion.鈥�
Hoylman-Sigal and Schwartz, both proponents of the state鈥檚 congestion pricing program, argue that the tolling plan 鈥� in June, weeks before it was to go into effect 鈥� should be brought back immediately to thin out traffic.
But the report puts responsibility on the city as well, calling for a reinstatement of limits to the number of Ubers and Lyfts that can operate in the five boroughs, following City Hall鈥檚 decision last year to .
The report also calls for returning the authority to enforce parking rules to the city鈥檚 Department of Transportation , which had that mandate until then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani switched it to the NYPD in 1995.
Finally, the report advocates for restoring the position of Traffic commissioner under the Department of Transportation, the position Schwartz held from 1982 to 1986.
鈥淭his is a solvable problem,鈥� Schwartz and Hoylman-Sigal write.
The report comes just days before the start of the , when visiting dignitaries and security cordons cause traffic chaos for much of Manhattan .
D.O.T. officials warned Thursday that all of next week constitutes a 鈥�鈥� due to the gathering of world leaders.
鈥淣ext week is the slowest week of the year [in terms of congestion],鈥� Schwartz said 鈥� which naturally could mean even longer response times for police and fire vehicles and ambulances.
鈥淒on鈥檛 get sick or get injured,鈥� he warned.
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