[michigander]

But I don't think that the lives of New York commuters should be imperiled because of a desire on the part of some bureaucrats to further their own agenda, or hamstring officials who they feel are receiving undeserved publicity/credit for their work.

Tough call.
Too many false alerts can lead folks to feel that it's an 'Oh gee, not this crap again' situation.
But, if the fit really hits the shan, they'll say 'Why weren't we warned?'
Sort of comparable to hurricane forecasting perhaps?

[Fitzcarraldo]

bus is 250 feet north of the exit...