NEW YORK STATE EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM

NEW YORK HAS AN EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM IN OPERATION BETWEEN ALBANY AND THE CANADIAN BORDER ON INTERSTATE 87. THE NORTHWAY IS A FULLY CONTROLLED ACCESS, RURAL INTERSTATE HIGHWAY BETWEEN ALBANY AND THE CANADIAN BORDER, A DISTANCE OF 178 MILES. IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM, BEING A MAJOR LINK BETWEEN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND CANADA. IT IS THE NORTHERN LINK BETWEEN THE METROPOLITAN NEW YORK AREA AND THE ADIRONDACK RECREATIONAL AREA. THE NORTHWAY EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM CONSISTS OF 710 STANDARD TELEPHONES INSTALLED IN WEATHERPROOF HOUSINGS, MOUNTED ON BREAKAWAY POLES AND SPACED AT 1/2 MILE INTERVALS ON BOTH THE NORTH AND SOUTH-BOUND LANES OF THE ROUTE. THE HOUSING IS COATED WITH A REFLECTORIZED YELLOW PAINT TO IMPROVE NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY. A NUMBER IDENTIFIES THE BOX AS TO LOCATION, AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE PHONE ARE POSTED NEAR THIS NUMBER. THE PHONES ARE LOCATED JUST OFF THE RIGHT SHOULDER APPROXIMATELY 12 FEET FROM THE PAVEMENT EDGE, GIVING THE MOTORIST AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO PLACE HIS VEHICLE COMPLETELY OFF THE PAVEMENT WHILE USING THE PHONE. PHONES ON THE NORTHBOUND SIDE ARE LOCATED DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THOSE ON THE SOUTHBOUND SIDE TO MAKE IT UNNECESSARY FOR A DISABLED MOTORIST TO CROSS THE HIGHWAY. EACH PHONE IS CONNECTED BY UNDERGROUND CABLE TO THE NEAREST STATE POLICE SUBSTATION. THE DISABLED MOTORIST MUST WALK TO THE NEAREST CALL BOX FROM HIS VEHICLE AND COMMUNICATE IN THE STANDARD TELEPHONE MANNER WITH THE POLICE OFFICER ON DUTY. THE EMERGENCY PHONE USAGE PEAKS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, COINCIDENTAL WITH THE PEAK ANNUAL TRAFFIC VOLUME ON THE NORTHWAY. A TABULATION IS PRESENTED OF THE CATEGORIES OF TYPES OF SERVICE REQUESTED AND VEHICLE TYPES. DRIVERS OF PASSENGER CARS WERE THE MOST FREQUENT USERS OF THE TELEPHONE. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS REPORTED THROUGH THE TELEPHONES, THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THE SYSTEM: (1) EACH VEHICLE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE ACCIDENT SCENE AN AVERAGE OF FIVE MUNUTES EARLIER BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF THE TELEPHONE SYSTEM, AND (2) EACH INJURED PERSON WOULD HAVE BEEN FORCED TO REMAIN WITHOUT COMPETENT MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AN AVERAGE OF SIX MUNUTES MORE HAD THERE BEEN NO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. A SECOND TYPE OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IS THAT USED BY THE NEW YORK STATE THROUGHWAY AUTHORITY. THE THROUGHWAY RADIO-TELEPHONE SYSTEM, COMPRISED OF 35 BASE STATIONS, ABOUT 650 MOBILE UNITS, AND 27 FIXED CONTROL STATIONS, OPERATES AS A MOBILE RELAY SYSTEM IN THE HIGHBAND PORTION OF THE RADIO SPECTRUM. THIS TYPE OF SYSTEM IS MUCH MORE COSTLY THAN THE NORTHWAY SYSTEM AND IS HINDERED BY THE FACT THAT THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH RADIO CHANNELS AVAILABLE TO ADEQUATELY HANDLE COMMUNICATIONS TRAFFIC.