For a New York Sightseeing Tour, Helicopters May Not be the Best Option

Hard on the heels about the ruling on bus sightseeing tours (tour buses will have to revert to headphones rather than loudspeaker systems) comes a ruling about helicopter tours in the city.
Yesterday, the city’s Economic Development Corporation announced that helicopter tours would be cut down significantly in response to complaints about the noise generated by the choppers. The five helicopter companies that operate out of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport will no longer will be allowed to fly over Brooklyn, the Empire State Building, or Central Park. In addition, tours under eight minutes, which make up about 15 to 20 percent of all flights, will also be a banned. The latter tours have represented the biggest hassle for residents in Brooklyn; they often went by the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
Helicopter operators will have to follow one of two new routes, which are designed to keep the copters flying higher over the Hudson River. The new plan would also make it easier for city residents to call 311 to complain about helicopter noise and for the calls to be tracked.
Complaints about the frequency and level of nose from helicopter routes have increased since April 1, when helicopter flights were relocated from the West Side Heliport. As a result, the number of flights--and the amount of noise--has increased exponentially.
The Economic Development Council and the Eastern Region Helicopter Council will enforce the regulations. Operators who don’t follow the new rules could have their licenses taken away and also face fines.
If you’re planning a day out in New York, you might want to consider your own two feet.

Speak Softly, and Point Out Those Sights in a Whisper

What did she just say? Carrie Bradshaw did what over there? Who ate at that Italian restaurant?
If you’re planning on hopping aboard a New York City sightseeing bus for a tour, questions like that may become more commonplace in the future. The City Council is expected to vote into law today a new rule banning open-air tour bus guides from conversing with the tourists aboard with a loudspeaker. City councilwoman Gale Brewster, who represents part of the West Village, sponsored the bill, saying that the noise from the loudspeakers is so loud it can be heard inside buildings.
Another supporter points out that the bus engines also contribute a huge amount of noise. Residents from a number of (largely upscale) neighborhoods have protested the noise from the buses for quite a while, saying that if you live on or near a bus route, the noise can be heard no matter what floor you live on. The noise also affects those who live near historic districts that are often pointed out on bus tours. Areas such as SoHo and the Village are among those affected.
The tour bus companies, not surprisingly, are not too happy about the proposed law; some officials estimate that it will cost between three and five million dollars to install a new system in which riders would listen through headphones to the guides.
New York has 250 licensed tour buses, about 150 of which have tops that are open in warm weather.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg is expected to sign the bill into law; if it passes, buses will have several years in which to comply.