Friday, December 24, 2010

Dutch Kills residents resort to traffic cones

From the Queens Gazette:

Frustrated residents in one section of the Dutch Kills community have started reserving parking spaces as a way to keep their vehicles within view.

The neighborhood bordered by 35th Avenue on the north, 37th Avenue on the south, 34th Street on the west and 38th Street on the east is a mix of residential units and commercial interests that have struggled for years to share a limited amount of available parking spaces.

Parking on side streets in the area is subject, four out of five working days each week, to the city’s alternate side parking regulations forcing motorists to clear streets for Department of Sanitation (DOS) street cleaning.

For four days each week, residents are joined by area workers in a cat-and-mouse game to find parking, according to resident Diane Carbone.

“It’s crazy,” Carbone declared. “People come home from work and spend an hour looking for a legal parking space for the next day. What are they supposed to do with their vehicles if they can’t find a spot?”

Residents, fed up with the lack of parking, have started placing traffic cones or trash cans in spaces to save them. “Some people feel it’s the only way they can hope to get a spot in their own neighborhood,” Carbone said.

Officials at the Department of Transportation (DOT) said residents are asking for trouble by saving parking spots.

Officials said using parking cones or trash cans to save parking spaces is illegal in New York City and can lead to a $100 fine.


Yeah, like they ever enforce that. Why do we have alternate side parking for street cleaning anyway? It's not like the street sweepers make the streets look any better. Property owners are already required to maintain street cleanliness in front of their homes.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The problem with LIC and Dutch Kills is that many streets are "No standing 6am-6pm" but used by spoiled city workers thanks to their parking passes.

Streets that are no longer industrial should be given back to the public for parking.

Anonymous said...

The 'problem' with Dutch Kills is the local people.

The politicans and the city wants them out.

An area that close to public transportation has a 'higher and better' use than the citizen, voters, verterans and taxpayers that have lived their most of their lives.

Anonymous said...

Take public transportation. Better yet, bike ride. The suburbanites and the teachers at the local schools need those spots.

ew-3 said...

"Better yet, bike ride."

Might want to consult the weatherman before getting the bike out. Stinks on a bike in snow.