HDG TRACK DEV DURING RADAR MONITORING VECTORING.

Narrative

THE FO AND MYSELF WERE NE OF THE LGA VOR OVER LONG ISLAND SOUND WHEN WE STARTED TO RECEIVE RADAR VECTORS FROM NEW YORK APCH CTL FOR THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL 31 APCH. THE FO WAS FLYING SO I WAS HANDLING RADIO COMS. WE WERE TOLD BY ATC TO PROCEED DIRECT TO THE LGA VOR AND AFTER PASSING THE VOR TO TAKE UP A HDG OF 270 DEG. ALL OF THIS IS AT 4000 FT MSL. AFTER PASSING THE LGA VOR WE TURNED 270 DEG. AFTER FLYING THIS HDG AND UPON REACHING THE HUDSON RIVER WE WERE GIVEN A HDG OF 220 DEGS BY ATC. NOW WHILE ALL OF THIS IS GOING ON; THERE IS AN LTT TURBO PAX; FLT Y; AT 2000 FT VFR RECEIVING THE SAME HDGS FROM THE SAME CTLR. IN FACT I COULD LOOK OUT MY L WINDOW AND SEE HIM DIRECTLY BELOW US; SLIGHTLY OFF TO MY L. WHEN THE LTT Y AND OURSELVES WERE JUST SW OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY; ATC GAVE A HDG OF 120 DEGS TO THE LTT Y. I COULD STILL SEE THE LTT AND SAW HIM TURN. THE NEXT VECTORS WERE FOR US. I WAS PRETTY CERTAIN THE CTLR TOLD US TO TURN 120 DEGS ALSO. AT LEAST THAT IS THE HDG I READ BACK. OFF TO OUR R WE NOTICED AN ACFT Z WITH ITS LNDG LIGHTS ON INBOUND FOR THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL 31 APCH. NOW AT THIS TIME THERE WAS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM BUT I WAS GETTING THE FEELING THAT THIS WASN'T GOING TO WORK. THE CTLR WAS EXTREMELY BUSY SO BEFORE I COULD CALL HIM HE TOLD US TO TURN R TO 220 DEGS AND DSND TO 3000 FT 'IMMEDIATELY'. WE DID WHAT HE REQUESTED AND ALTHOUGH I WOULD NOT CLASSIFY THIS AS A NEAR MISS; I THINK IT HAD THE POTENTIAL TO BE. WE ALWAYS HAD THE ACR LGT Z IN SIGHT. HE WAS INBOUND ON THE LGA VOR 225 DEG RADIAL FOR THE APCH. I THINK THIS TYPE OF APCH REQUIRES TOO MANY VECTORS FROM ATC WHEN THEY ARE BUSY. WE ARE ALSO REQUIRED BY THE FAA TO MONITOR COMPANY FREQ 131.32 WHICH IS ALSO USED BY OTHER ACRS AND IT HAS THE POTENTIAL OF BEING BUSY WHICH MAKES LISTENING TO YOUR PRIMARY COMS DIFFICULT. COMS IN HIGH CONGESTED; BUSY ARPTS SOMEHOW NEED TO BE IMPROVED. THE CTLR NEVER TOLD ME TO CALL ON THE TELEPHONE OR HOW FAR THE ACR WAS. BUT AGAIN HE SOUNDED URGENT ALTHOUGH WE HAD THE ACR Z IN SIGHT.