Rep. Sires Leads Hudson County Officials in Support of NY Tourist Helicopter Ban

U.S. Congressman Albio Sires was joined in Hoboken Monday by a cadre of Hudson County officials who sounded a unified call to ban cacophonous tourist helicopter flyovers on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

“I am proposing a ban of tourist helicopters over New Jersey," said Sires, who represents New Jersey's 8th Congressional District, which includes most of Hudson County. "They banned them over Brooklyn, they banned them over Central Park, they banned them over the Empire State Building, so why can’t we in New Jersey not ban these flights?”

While noise pollution from low-flying New York City tourist helicopters is not a new concern for Hudson County residents, officials stressed that the increasing frequency of flyovers — no fewer than a half-dozen helicopters flew overhead during Monday's 20 minute press conference — and ongoing safety concerns crystallized in a recent copter crash have brought the issue back to the forefront.

"I think last week’s crash brought everybody together," Sires said Monday. "I think everybody realizes that we are in danger from these helicopter flights, that they’re getting more and more flights.”

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who attended Monday's press conference at Pier A Park along with city council members Beth Mason and Terry Castellano, said residents can only tolerate so much noise before it begins to disrupt their quality of life.

“Hoboken is an urban area, we are used to the noise," Zimmer said. "But more often than not, it sounds like a war zone with all of the helicopters flying overhead. Residents have to close their windows just to have a conversation inside their homes. It’s not just an inconvenience, this New York tourist helicopter noise is excessive, unreasonable and unfair.

"Simply put, these helicopters have gotten out of control," she continued. "It’s time for a ban of tourist helicopters from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. They bring no benefit to New Jersey while they fly too frequently, too low and too loudly over our homes and over our waterfront.”

Hoboken resident Brian Wagner, who created the Facebook group "Stop NYC Tourism Helicopters over NJ side of Hudson River," called on Sires and other local elected officials to lend their muscle to the cause.

"Last Sunday's crash needs to be a wakeup call," said Wagner, who noted that flyovers occur daily from just after 9 each morning until about 11 at night.
 
"It would be nice to be able to walk out here on a Saturday or Sunday with our families and enjoy the peace and quiet that this region brings," he said.

Sires said he would be setting up a meeting with Federal Aviation Administration Regional Administrator Carmine Gallo to discuss solutions to the flyover problem as soon as he returned to Washington Monday night.

"It’s not going to happen overnight," Sires said of the proposed flyover ban, "but we are in a fight. This is what’s important.”