Saturday, June 23, 2018
Trying to end a pervasive problem
From CBS 2:
The Department of Sanitation said it is illegal to posts signs or ads on poles, boxes, highways, elevated subways or similar public locations. The department said it does give out fines ranging from $75 to $300.
A spokesperson added that research has shown most of the companies use a prepaid phone, which makes it difficult to identify a responsible party. But they do also subpoena phone companies.
Avella said it’s not enough.
“Acknowledging the problem and not fixing it isn’t getting us anywhere. I’m willing to sit down with Sanitation and especially the phone companies,” he said. “We have to end this, because this is out of control.”
Grymes called five of the numbers on various signs, and someone answered at each number.
She got two hang-ups, but three others said they work for legitimate businesses that do offer money for cars and car parts. They would not consent to being recorded and would not give the name of the business or did not know it. Two said the sanitation department does fine them often for the signs, but that doesn’t stop them.
Avella said you shouldn’t take up the offers and the Better Business Bureau also recommends checking with them first to see if the business has any reviews or complains on file. That is, if you know the name.
The sanitation department said a special unit removes illegal signs unless it’s too dangerous or difficult, then the Department of Transportation does it. You can call 311 to report an illegal sign.
14 comments:
The Dept of Sanitation's Enforcement Unit has gone to crap in the last several years, at least for the part that "enforces" illegal signs and stickers.
The former head of the Unit was on top of things 10 years ago. Now, you can't get a straight story on how many NOVs (notice of violations) were given out for a specific complaint.
Granted, even when the DOS does their job right, the judgement portion is handled by the ECB (Environmental Control Board). Getting info out of them is damn near impossible.
There's also the issue of property damage. Nearly every one of those signs shown in the video has been glued on. They typically use a black, tar-like substance which holds the sign on very well. Even after the sign is removed, the glue remains, along with a piece of the sign, looking hideous.
Thres another scam going on.
Broadway Flushing (on my block) yellow flyers left "cash for your home...closing in 24 hours." Also saying they stop foreclosure actions.
Phone number only. No address of company only "Jacob" and "in God we trust" on flyer.
This crap has been around for years but lately has gotten completely out of control. Its on every corner pole now. Something definitely needs to be done.
Sting Operation?
I have seen those guys in a row truck, posting those we buy junk cars sign. They glue those sign in high places, making it tricky to take down.someone should get a graffiti charge for it.
That black glue sure is strong stuff. Even the sign's composition is nothing to sneeze at strength wise. I know since I used a brand new exacto blade to slice/saw off one of these signs recently on a light pole on my block. Anyone have the inside on what that "glue" is? Could come in handy with some house projects I'm doing. Thanks.
Just more of the same old shit in this expensive bland shit hole of a city. But do any issues seen on this blog for years and years ever get addressed properly, fixed or taken care of by this corrupt fake progressive liberal city & administration. NO, NEVER. This shit mentioned here, plus illegal conversions, green space cemented over, household trash in public garbage cans, litter and dog shit everywhere, illegal tractor trailer truck parking on streets, illegal parking of cars on sidewalks/streets by auto body shops, auto repair shops, auto sales places and regular people, illegal truck driving on residential streets, garbage dumps like Royal Waste breaking laws left and right and poisoning people in those communities NEVER CHANGES. The list just goes on and on and on (while adding more bullshit to it every year), but NEVER is a damn thing done about any of them, hence the SAME OLD SHIT ALL THE TIME. I mean, how many times has this issue of illegal posting been seen on Queens Crap. How many news story has appeared on TV in the past on this issue. AND what has been the answer or solution, NOTHING, same as with all the other issues.
This city has all these bland gigantic glass & metal towers all shiny and clean that the majority of people cannot even afford and prices keep rising, while the issues of the bad days of NYC during the 60's, 70's and 80's have not only stayed the same, but have gotten worse than back then: homelessness sky high, opiods have replaced crack, more people at below the poverty level (South Bronx having the most people in poverty in the country) and many barely above it, a subway system in dire emergency mode, certain crimes just keep going up and more and more people every day unable to stay here due to the high cost of renting (forget even owning).
Going through my old shitty hood of Jamaica recently and not only has there not been one improvement or addressing of any issues that I had brought up for years on my now defunct blog, Clean Up Jamaica Queens, BUT, it has gotten even worse if you can imagine such an awful shitty place able to get even worse. BUT they still continue to build big towers in that hood.
A must read from the latest issue of Harper Magazine (https://harpers.org/archive/2018/07/the-death-of-new-york-city-gentrification/) paints a most realistic and very bleak picture of this fallen city, which still has a ways fall.
For us regular folks, there really is no longer any more reason to stay here, since this soulless shit hole looks like every other place (well worse) except it comes with a huge price tag and is filled with mounds of garbage and a bank and chain store on every corner, while even the great white way, produces more crap than Jamaica.
I totally get why most folks no longer care or want to do anything about it anymore, because your soul gets destroyed in the process while not a damn thing ever changes at all here in the most rotted apple on the planet. DIMINISHING RETURNS.
I rarely read anymore of this kind of stuff anymore, because as has been proven many times before, NOTHING GETS DONE. Like many folks, I am just buying my time a couple more years before retiring and leaving here to never look back. I don't even recognize this place that I came to a long 23 years ago, most of what made it unique is gone.
Meanwhile, what in the world do council people do besides nothing? I know,this sticker issue is a quality of life problem, but there are also real life safety problems that are just ignored. I live in Bayside and called my “Councilman”Vallone about a sinkhole on well traveled 46th Av about 2 weeks ago. It was filled by an orange cone. The same person who answered the phone originally called me back to tell me that the DEP was contacted. 2 week’s later, progress!! An orange circle has been drawn around the sinkhole and the orange cone that currently still fills it! When will actual work be done? Possibly never. Time to take pictures and call Avella’s office, he’s the only working legislator around here.
Sanitation removes no signs unless there is a 311 call and a complaint number for each and every one.
Thank you to Tony Avella and I hope that he brings about a DSNY who rides down the street removing signs that they see. What a waste of time to come into a neighborhood and do the sign removal by complaint number. Kind of like the Department of Buildings having two houses on the same block (or even two complaints at the same address!!) and making separate trips!
I called the department of transportation and other agencies to get some very bad asphalt waves and a protruding manhole cover fixed, as it's at the center of a heavily used intersection in my neighborhood which could cause one to damage the underside of your car or lose control of your car if you didn't know it was there, or in the dark. These lazy shiftless bastards had the gall to email me back to say they had inspected the site and was satisfied with it the way it was, no repair. What the hell do these worthless people do all day? No one could have come out to see this and declared it fine.
I am one of the lucky people who has a electric/cable pole in front of my house and every now and then some dummy puts a sign up there. Not only cash for cars and homes, I get the drain/plumbing ones. Thank G-d my husband is not afraid of heights and takes them down.
Anyone have the inside on what that "glue" is? Could come in handy with some house projects I'm doing. Thanks.
Maybe Phil Swift drives around and uses Flex Seal to put the signs up as a marketing gimmick for his products...
To ms tsouris,
I called 311 for a sinkhole on college point blvd and 23 av last may 2017. In sept of 2017 after seeing no progress I called vallone's office about it. They assured me the problem would ne corrected asap. I ended up calling vallones office 5 more times. Finally in may of 2018, a year later it was fixed. So at the rate the city and vallones office works hopefully your sink hole will be fixed by this time next year.
Waste of energy, and resources.
First divert all resources to getting some of these crazy homeless of the street before they kill somebody.
I have noted many are without question bad paranoid schizophrenic's who are selling or not taking there medication.
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