Dangerous Roads: New Survey Says Many NYC Highways Not Marked Properly
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- On Thursday CBS 2 got a first look at a new survey that says many of our highways lack the most basic safety marks.
Reporter Lou Young took to the streets in a Mobile 2 Unit to see for himself.
Inbound on the Grand Central Parkway, we're playing a dangerous game of find the traffic lane. City motorists know it well.
"Especially at night when you can't see the lines, you, you just don't know where you are," Roslyn resident Gary Simon said.
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A new survey about to be released by the Automobile Club of America reveals major marking problems on city-maintained highways -- spots where the lanes seem to fade and vanish.
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Paul Murnane spoke with drivers in Midtown
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"It's hard to know why they're letting it go. You'd think these painted markings would last for years and years and so with faded lane markings and missing lane markings that would mean there's been years and years of neglect," said Robert Sinclair of AAA New York.
Concrete sections are in the worst shape. You often have to concentrate to see out where the lanes are. AAA said it's not a matter of rocket science. It said the city has its priorities in the wrong place.
"At a time when they're paying so much attention to pedestrian malls that millions of dollars and time and attention are being spent on those sorts of things, that millions of dollars of time and attention need to be spent on these basics of road safety," Sinclair told Young.
The survey was taken last month, but drivers Young spoke with said the problem is not new. They said they worry most about out-of-towners suddenly having to navigate without guidance.
"I'm pretty used to it myself, but, you know, a lot of people, they're just all over the road because of that, and you got to watch out for them, you know?" limousine driver Glen Hazim said.
The Department of Transportation said the rough winter is to blame for the deterioration of the markings and said the roads will be painted again as we approach summer. AAA suggested the city use more durable materials next time.
One driver in Midtown told WCBS 880 that New Yorkers can handle almost anything on the road.
"There's really no structure as far as lanes and all that," the man said. "Everybody follows each other and the next thing you know, you're converging and that's when everybody bottlenecks."
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