Traffic Stops on Bridges

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

This was in I think Todays paper. I think that it brings up some good points. I know that Westchester does not have that many bridges and most of us don't even cover them, I thought it was a good article. As I posted in another forum, the Chesapeak Bay Bridge/Tunnel has cut outs on the side of the road for DV's, Traffic stops, and whatever. Maybe if the redo the Tappan Zee they should think of that.

Law and bridge design limit police enforcement on Tappan Zee Bridge

By CAREN HALBFINGER

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: July 4, 2007)

State police are limited both by design and by state law in what they can do to crack down on speeders and unsafe drivers on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Motorists who drive regularly across the bridge have been talking about the need for stepped-up enforcement of speeding and unsafe driving on the bridge since a fatal accident Sunday. The crash occurred after a 19-year-old driver, who police say was speeding and driving recklessly, hit a southbound tractor-trailer and careened through the barrier into the northbound lanes. Debris from the truck and the barrier was strewn across all seven lanes of the bridge, closing it for nine hours.

"Of all the times I've commuted on this bridge, I can honestly say I only saw a traffic cop one time, and that was Sunday around 2 p.m,'' said Jorge Fernandez, 25, a mortgage salesman from Queens. "Coincidently enough, there were two cars racing each other, weaving in an out of the dense traffic, and the cop didn't even attempt to stop them. Bottom line is, we need more traffic enforcement, whether it be stationing more traffic officers on both sides of the bridge, or installing several cameras that can track one's speed, with a penalty of a harsh fine."

There is no state law that allows police to use cameras to enforce vehicle and traffic laws and mail tickets to vehicle owners, as Fernandez and other bridge commuters have suggested. To catch speeders or reckless drivers on the Tappan Zee Bridge, state troopers must see them and ticket them in person.

While other states, such as Texas and California, are starting to test the use of cameras to catch and penalize speeders, New York has no plans to do so. Any change would require action by the state Legislature, said state police Sgt. Kern Swoboda. New York City is able to ticket the owners of vehicles that run red lights by imposing civil penalties, he said.

But just because you don't see lights flashing and cars pulled over, don't think police aren't patrolling - and enforcing - traffic on the bridge. Police never pull over motorists on the bridge because it has no shoulders, said state police Capt. Evelyn Mallard, zone commander for troopers patrolling the bridge.

"It would create more of a hazard to pull people over on the bridge than the hazard they're creating,'' she said. "There is enforcement out there, but you'll never see someone stopped on the bridge. It's unsafe. You may see them stopped on either end of the bridge.''

The lack of shoulders also makes getting to the scene of an accident, such as Sunday's fatal crash, that much more difficult, she said. That's why she has emphasized the need for shoulders on a new or rehabilitated bridge in meetings about the future of the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Improving traffic safety and enforcement would be taken into account in designing a new bridge, according to Mike Anderson, who is leading the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 environmental study team. Improvements would include lanes that would be a foot wider, with an extra 2 feet on either side of the barrier, and lane-width shoulders, he said.

"Our design is going to be predicated on the latest highway standards,'' Anderson said. "Whether a rehabilitated bridge can meet those design standards remains to be seen, but that will be our goal. In a replacement bridge, all those requirements will be met.''

Even when there are shoulders, though, police and emergency vehicles sometimes have to dodge motorists who are using them, illegally, to try to get around bottlenecks. Heading to the scene of the Sunday crash from Orange County, Mallard said she had to weave in and out of the shoulder because motorists were blocking her access and riding her tail.

"There were definitely a few four-letter words coming out of my mouth,'' she said. "When traffic is backed up, the worst thing you can do is go on the shoulder. To go on the shoulder prolongs the response time, which prolongs the time you will be sitting there, stuck in traffic. Get out of the way and let us do our jobs.''

While this fatal crash captured a lot of attention, Mallard said speeding isn't a common problem on the bridge.

"Most of the time the bridge is so backed up you can't go that fast,'' she said. "I don't think speeding and weaving there is any different than in any other stretch; it's not a huge problem.''

[MTACOP 0]

I was coming home from Jersey last week when the bridge was closed, and the GWB was gridlock for almost an hour. That's even with me sneaking right up to the toll plaza.

I think that the Tappen Zee needs to be rethought. Add rails for the trains to service west of the Hudson and make more lanes. Then add services similar to the PAPD, who roll on DV's and crashes. As far as enforcement we do alot of bridges and tunnels, as do the TBTA officers. Stops are usually done off the bridge to avoid traffic problems.

[IzzyEng4 427]

MTACOP, you know that makes sense and because it does, they wont do it.

All joking aside though, that would be the best thing for the TZ especially for the traffic that goes over it and when there is something, major or minor, you have the "bridge brigade" first in and have Central Nyack and Tarrytown backing them up with additional resources.

They definitely need to replace the bridge sooner than later.

[Oswegowind 17]

I have seen the troopers sit in Nyack just off the west bank of the bridge and nail people after they cross...there is a ton of room to do that there but not so much on the east bank cause the tolls slow everyone down. Next the need to make EZPass lanes that you can continue at 50 mph through...Maybe not though cause how many idiots try to cross over everyday cause they ain't paying attention! Will that work I don't know. As for speeding on the bridge, more patrols using slick tops or plain unmarked cars would improve enforcement...Everyone sees the tway cars and slow down...got to be sneaky!

[dadbo46 50]

Here's a "Letter to the Editor" from today's Journal News on how to handle speeders on the TZB. Sometimes you just can't make these things up !

An idea for stopping speeding on bridge

I propose a solution to the difficulty of tracking speeders on the Tappan Zee Bridge: A trooper can be positioned in the capsule of a large helium balloon tethered to the bridge. From this floating observation point, the police officer can use binoculars and a stopwatch to accurately gauge the speed of vehicles on the span. Information about the vehicle can then be radioed to other units stationed in safe "flag-down" zones, who can stop the vehicle and issue the summons. After a period of active enforcement, drivers will be inclined to slow down when "the balloon is up," and a mannequin in police uniform can be periodically substituted for a real observer to create an effective, inexpensive deterrent.

Peter A. Silverstein

New Rochelle

Letters to the editor

[Oswegowind 17]

OMG...what an idea...why not just get him the James Bond 007 jet pack from "Thunderball"...the Navy probably has a surplus of those lying around! I'd like to know what his plan is if the balloon has trouble and the trooper drops in front of the speeding traffic and gets run over(?)