The city will continue to furlough workers who fill potholes rather than go full-strength in the war against craters, officials said.
Broke City Won’t Rush Pothole Fix
The city will continue to furlough workers who fill potholes rather than go full-strength in the war against craters, officials said.
The Daily News reported Monday that 555 Department of Transportation road repairers have been directed to stay home one day every two weeks in the first quarter of this year – a cost-cutting move that had drivers honking mad.
That translates into 22,000 fewer manpower hours this year than if the department was fully deployed against the bumper crop of craters.
While the furloughs are saving $1 million, according to the DOT, potholes are indeed being filled at a slower pace than last year.
Last month, it took on average 3.65 days to fill a pothole – compared with 1.42 days during the previous January, said DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow.
He maintained that total manpower hours during the 10-week stretch in which furloughs are in effect is on par with last year, since 50 seasonal highway repairers moved to year-round posts.
And since the December snowstorm, more than 45,000 potholes have been filled.
A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg insisted the department is being more productive despite the furloughs.
“They are managing the reduced resources and still getting more done, with more potholes filled compared to last year,” spokesman Marc La Vorgna said, adding that these cuts to basic services are “a trend you will see increasingly” if the city doesn’t get relief from Albany on pension costs and other mandates.
Callers to 311 might be alarmed when operators say that potholes will be filled within 30 days, but that’s from the city’s longstanding script, officials said.
It can, though, take longer than a few days to fix craters that are reported as potholes but turn out to be bigger problems like sinkholes or damage left by utility crews, Solomonow said.
Drivers, meanwhile, continued to fume about road conditions.
“I just came across town and there are potholes all over the streets,” Morton Dowdy, 45, of Brooklyn, said from the cab of his small delivery truck in midtown.
“I’m talking serious potholes that could break your axle. It’s dangerous.”
NOT TRUE!!!
THE CITY IS NOT BROKE, THEY HAVE ALL YOUR MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS AND LAUGHING AT US. WHATEVER BASTERD BLOOMBERG SAYS DON’T LISTEN TO HIM, HE IS A LIAR AND A KILLER AND A THEIF. THE DOT DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE SUED, BREAKING ALL THESE PEOPLE’S CARS AN D TRUCKS AND…..!!!!
Montrealer
You call THAT potholes?!
Apparently you’ve never been in Montreal! We sink into our’s!
laze4rbeam@comcast.net
You should see some of the pot holes in the produce market area in Chelsea outside of Boston.]
The serious question is how come the city under Bloomberg’s direction never has any money for essential items considering the high taxes on everything. Did you know that there is even a tax on the service of slicing a bagel?
One reason might be his continued attack on the Bill of rights, his agents were in Arizona. His Honor is the subject of several lawsuits owing to interference in state sanctioned under state law and federal law activities.\
Of course, the question is he too buzy running for the White House instead of running the city
Recall Bloomberg
Bloomberg wasted millions of dollars over the last year or two installing bike lanes and building islands that hinder traffic, all part of his social engineering to keep New Yorkers out of cars, instead of maintaining the streets.
We are taxed over 67 cents on every gallon of gasoline, supposedly to pay for road maintenance and improvement.
In general riding on bikes in Europe is more feasible, the winters and summers are milder.
Concerned Driver
Looks a lot like the roads/tarmac in South Africa. It would seem that we have similar issues.