By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided Tuesday not to sign a bill forcing tour buses to replace loudspeakers with headphones, a surprising move during what is usually a largely ceremonial bill signing process.
The City Council approved the bill to ban the buses' blaring loud speakers three weeks ago, but after listening to members of the Transportation Workers Union discuss the job losses that might be incurred if the bill became law, the mayor said he would wait until he spoke with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn before he signed.
“I hear you,” Bloomberg said as several people testified about the problems the bill would bring to the tourism industry.
"My inclination is that in the end I will wind up signing this bill,” Bloomberg warned, but said that before signing, he wanted to insure that the bill struck the right balance between the health of the tourism industry and quality of life for city residents.
Karen Fleming, who is a member of the TWU’s Local 225, urged that a provision be included in the bill requiring that a live tour guide be aboard the tour buses.
“Only one sentence needs to be added to that bill,” said Fleming, who had the support of other union members worried that tour bus companies would transition from live operators to audio tapes if the pass became law in its current form.
This is only the second time that Bloomberg has decided against signing a bill once it had reached this stage. Three years ago the mayor delayed signing a bill that would regulate the pedicab industry and eventually vetoed it two weeks later. The veto was then overridden by the City Council.
Bloomberg accepted thank yous from the union members present after the ceremony, but said, “If I sign the bill, don’t be too surprised.”
