From the Forum West:Members of the 75th Street Block Association were successful in their push to have the city remove seven parking meters recently installed along Eliot Avenue.
Without warning, the city Department of Transportation installed the meters on the north side of Eliot Avenue between Lutheran Avenue and 74th Street in Middle Village last November. The decision made the spots virtually useless to 75th Street residents, who used to park there when their dead-end block was full.
After residents appealed to Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and Community Board 5, DOT crews removed the meters late last week, according to block association members Frank Toomey, Mike White and Dmytro Fedkowskyj.
“We’re reasonable people, and when you drive by and see empty meters all the time, you wonder why they’re there,” said White, adding that he is not surprised the DOT agreed to remove them, considering they weren’t generating much revenue. “Nobody was parking there,” he added. “That’s seven additional spots, and it doesn’t sound like a lot, but seven spots is seven spots.”
A DOT spokeswoman said the meters were installed after a survey was conducted at the request of a local business. She confirmed that the meters on the south side of the avenue will remain, while, those on the north side were removed to restore general parking. The DOT refused to reveal to either Crowley or The Forum which business had submitted the request for meters.
Sounds like it's time for a FOIL request because that's public information.
17 comments:
Don't blame the businesses.When the City started requiring paying meters on Sunday I was thrilled. I had a business which was open on Sunday and my customers finally had places to park. Since the City recinded that order the people in the neighborhood park their cars in front of my office on Saturday night and don't move them till Monday morning. We all have needs...
Is there a large retailer like Walgreen's in the area? - the large retailers usually have someone with a business degree in management trying to impress the CEOs with incredibly stupid ideas.
We have two major parking lots in my nab in addition to meters on the streets. Since the metered spots are always taken, many people will park in one of the lots and walk around.
When Walgreen's moved into the nab a few years back, they started towing cars that were in the lot more than 20 minutes - and very agressively. You couldn't go from Walgreen's to the Post Office without being on their radar. The tow company would wait and watch the customers as we left - hook us up - and then demand $50 to unhook us when we returned. It was a shakedown - in essence we were being mugged by this tow company. Everyone was infuriated by this INCLUDING the local businesses - they LOST also since people did not have the time to make it over to them.
The majority of us starting going to the other shopping area that wasn't towing - and let Walgreen's management know too. It took awhile for their dense skulls to figure it out that it was more profitable for them to NOT tow us.
We have our parking lot back.
these old bags complain about everything over there
god forbid they have to pay a quarter to park
now cars will sit there all day and people will double park instead
i could not move out of that area fast enough the average resident is living in the 50's
good lord get a life
tell the 75th st association to park in their drieways and grages and not have 7 cars per house
bunch of nimby artifacts
a) There are 3 family houses there. (Thank you City Planning.)
b) If people were actually double parking they wouldn't complain about the meters. If you double parked on Eliot you most certainly would get a ticket.
c) You sound like one of those bitter people that moved out to the Island and abandoned the neighborhood, so I doubt they care what you think.
Walgreens is more than five blocks away, care to take another guess, the only business on Eliot and 74th street are Phillies pizza and a new Italian restaurant that seems to be owned by Phillies too
tell the 75th st association to park in their drieways and grages and not have 7 cars per house
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This is the biggest issue.
3 cars for a one family house, and then they go and decide to put an above ground pool or a deck in the back yard so they cant even use that for parking. Then they will take two spots with one vehicle so "save" the spots for the other cars.
The other night, on my block alone, 12 cars were effectively using 24 spots.
really, dude, i don't think you need to be concerned with someone parking behind you tapping the bumper of your 1998 Civic.
Common sense pprvails.......too bad dot wont paint a stop line and a larger "stop here on red" sign 80st and Furmanville ave.
c) You sound like one of those bitter people that moved out to the Island and abandoned the neighborhood, so I doubt they care what you think.
actually i live in queens and pay for a garage spot
you sound bitter dude/dudette
Is it a commercial garage?
If you pay for a garage spot it sounds like you don't have it any better where you live. Yet you have the nerve to belittle the people you left behind for fighting for parking?
Loser.
no i can just afford to pay for my parking a i do not have to deal with wasting my time on parking meters
loser?
thanks for the support
now go get your shinebox
If you live in Queens and are renting or renting out a garage or parking space on a residential property, this is illegal.
wish we had more older and younger people here in maspeth to complain to the proper people, maybe then we wouldn't be screwed over by this city with yet another school. good for the folks in middle village for fighting to get rid of those meters! no need to have them over there. high five to ya!!
What's wrong with meters in a commercial strip?
The people who were upset misidentified the block the meters were placed on by calling it "a residential street". And the person who took the photo and published the first story in the local, free, "newspapers" angled the group of whiners in such a way that you don't see the true streetscape, which clearly shows no residences, and nothing but commercial enterprises.
The meters are are all over Eliot, wherever there are businesses. Except there.
How do you lie to the public for pity support in a location that is on an overpass (no houses there) across the street from Phillies, and right in front of the future Chase Bank?
Maybe Crowley should remove 3 parking spots next to her office on Furmanville, then those coming from Woodhaven, could actually get through the intersection, instead of waiting behind the first car that always turns onto 80St.
That intersection has never recovered from someone's bright idea of better traffic flow. Five directions of traffic have been messed up for years.
Perhaps the new bank parking lot will be the additional overflow parking the 75 Street people need when they buy their 3rd and 4th car. Obviously they've outgrown their own street and property.
Or, maybe they can pave the grass under the billboard and get free lot parking. Or better yet, valet service, with a golf cart shuttle ride to their homes.
Hey Chase - like the neighborhood your comming too?
To call it a "commercial strip" is a bit disingenuous since from this spot until 79th Street is nothing but homes. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself.
You are correct, from 76 Street until 79 Street are the sides of houses. There are no meters there, nor were the meters in question added there.
You know that the meters were placed in the other direction from 76 Street towards 69 Street. Just as the picture in the paper did not show, because that would not provide the sensationalism that was saught.
Look at the Google maps heading west on Eliot to 69 Street. The meters were /are on a train tressel, in front of the old gas station, and on the side of Phillies. You have to travel 3 blocks west until you hit the first house on Eliot. Perhaps a link to the zonig map (C-1 overlays) would be better way to determine a "commercial strip."
What happened to truth in reporting?
Want truth? Well here it is: The railroad property is zoned R4. The people who park there live behind the garden on Eliot. That is what the photo I put on this post shows, and that is where the meters were removed.
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