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Residents mixed on helicopter traffic settlement

Residents along the Brooklyn waterfront say they have mixed feelings about an announcement Sunday to combat helicopter noise and traffic in the area. On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that

News 12 Staff

Feb 1, 2016, 10:53 PM

Updated 3,235 days ago

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Residents along the Brooklyn waterfront say they have mixed feelings about an announcement Sunday to combat helicopter noise and traffic in the area.
On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a settlement has been reached that will require tour operators to cut the number of flights at the Manhattan heliport in half by January 2017.
By April 1 2016, they will have to end all flights on Sundays. By January2017, the city expects nearly 30,000 helicopter flights to be eliminated annually.
Some residents say while the area does see a lot of helicopter traffic, the noise from the BQE is much worse.
"We live in New York City and this is the BQE so they're not going to be able to cut the traffic on the BQE, so I'm not sure why the helicopters is that much more of a noise issue," said one resident.
The flight reduction will be gradually phased in with a 20 percent reduction beginning June 1.