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Mapping the City's Stray Voltage
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 5, 2009
Modified Nov 5, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 5, 2009
Modified Nov 5, 2009
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These maps are sort of terrifying, no? The Jodie S. Lane Public Safety Foundation, named for the woman who was electrocuted to death in the East Village five years ago, has created a website that tracks and logs all incidents of stray voltage found by Con ED since January 2004. CityRoom reports that "It maps the location of more than 31,900 objects, like fences, manholes and sidewalks, that have been electrified by stray voltage and 930 shocks of people or pets that have been recorded during that period."
Lane's father created the map, who said, “The only way for me to stay sane has been to focus on doing something good for the people of the city and state of New York." Con Ed says that incidents are on the decline, but "the number of stray voltage conditions detected each year rose with the development of new technology and an increased number of systemwide scans."
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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