The Curious Tale of Two Fire Hydrants and Public Safety –...

“Hooray, that unsightly and inexplicable fire hydrant barricade has been removed from in front of the deli,” our reader wrote. “However, it is commonplace for trucks to be double parked in front of the hydrant outside Rivercross. They are United Parcel, FedEx, deliveries to Wholesome Factory, etc. That situation Never seems to bother Public Safety at all.”

by David Stone

The Roosevelt Island Daily News

A Tale of Two Fire Hydrants & One Public Safety Department

Month after month, defying common sense safety and even FDNY objections, RIOC refused to take down the risky Kevin Brown Main Street Fire Hydrant Blockade.

There it sat, month after month, inexplicably endangering hundreds of residents. Nothing could persuade the state agency that never gets it wrong to remove it. PSD said it prevented illegal parking by putting up an idiotic barrier.

But as our reader pointed out, the Public Safety Department had no such concerns about a repeatedly obstructed hydrant just down the block.

Here’s a shot from today:

In a common scene, multiple cars and trucks double-parked outside Rivercross. This not only blocks the fire hydrant, it forces all traffic into a single lane.

But Where’s Any One of 50 Budgeted Public Safety Officers?

Oh, here she is…

About 100 hundred feet away, idling quietly at the curb, in full view, doing absolutely thing. There wasn’t another one of the fifty anywhere in sight.

So, What’s the Difference Between the Two?

Apparently, Public Safety targets Bread & Butter Deli with unequal treatment. In May, three officers manhandled a small female driver inside the store. They went after her for alleged illegal parking.

No public explanation ever appeared, but the driver no longer makes Roosevelt Island deliveries.

And then there’s the Kevin Brown Main Street Fire Hydrant Blockade. But finally, it’s gone. The mystery of why the community’s longest-standing store repeatedly gets targeted, though, is not.