Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Phonytown, USA

Weekdays, this lot at Amory Court and Metropolitan Avenue in Ridgewood hosts used cars.
On the weekend, the cars stay where they are and a pony is shipped in to provide rides to children at $5 a pop. The trailer that delivers him gets parked on the street reeking of excrement and attracting flies.

Ponytown, U.S.A., Inc. is not listed as a corporation in New York State and the Queens phone number on the sign is unlisted. The shady sneaker vending is also less than copacetic. Is this outfit insured? Is the pony healthy? Let's remember that children and animals are most directly affected here.

This entire operation is quite gauche and I would love to report it if I only knew to what agency it should be directed. The owner of this lot has an unpaid zoning violation dating back 12 years for the used cars, but the zoning has changed since that time to include a commercial overlay.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would be freakin' out if this were in my neighborhood or near my house. Where is the City - call the ASPCA and the board of Health for God's sake!

Anonymous said...

Call 311 and they'll direct you to the correct agency.

Anonymous said...

How old are you? How do you not know who to call? You know how to use a computer, right? Call the ASPCA, 311, the board of health and the building department--AND call every TV station and newspaper at the same time!

Queens Crapper said...

You think I haven't called 311? A giant waste of time. They didn't know what the violation was.

The ASPCA said since I am not complaining that the animal is being abused they couldn't do anything about it.

Thanks for the insults, though, they're sure helpful.

Maybe the animal rights wacko that insults everyone on here will put her money where her mouth is and take care of this one.

Anonymous said...

For everyone saying call 311, unless you know exactly the name of the service request you want, they do not know how to help you. Describing simple easy problems is like moving a mounatin, imagine describing this one?

Anonymous said...

Here comes crappy, the pony ride policeman. Pony rides are not illegal last time I checked. If your neighbors were having a block party and wanted to hire a pony to give rides to the kids would you have a problem with that also? Is it illegal to park a horse trailer on the street? Probably not. Is the outfit insured? That's something for potential customers to consider, but I don't see why you should be so concerned about it if you are not planning on taking a ride.
Oh, and lets remember that "children and animals are most directly affected here". Yes, some children will enjoy a (cheap) pony ride, and the pony will be just fine despite the flies.

Horse lover said...

Last time I checked...

Running a commercial horse ride establishment out of a lot with a C of O for residential is a violation of the buildings code.

Saying you are incorporated when you are not is fraud.

And the public has the right to know if animals they come into contact with are healthy.

Three strikes, you're out, anonymous.

Anonymous said...

"Yes, some children will enjoy a (cheap) pony ride"

$5 to ride around a small parking lot filled with cars is cheap?

Wow, would love to have the money you have that you feel you can just throw away.

sparky said...

have you tried the DCA (Department of Consumer Affairs) yet? i notice they license operators of amusements in the city:
§ 20-212 Licenses required. a. It shall be unlawful for any person to act as an amusement operator without first having obtained a license
therefor.
b. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or for the owner to permit the operation of an amusement device unless such owner has first
obtained a license for such amusement device.
c. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate, or for the owner to permit the operation of, an amusement arcade or gaming cafe unless such
owner has first obtained a license for such amusement arcade or gaming cafe.


DCA website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/law/law.shtml

Anonymous said...

"That's something for potential customers to consider, but I don't see why you should be so concerned about it if you are not planning on taking a ride."

Because if they are not insured and a kid cracks his skull falling off, guess who foots the bill?