Cars blocking the sidewalk on 50th Avenue by the 108 precinct house (Twitter: @pabilas, Rodrigo Salazar)
July 9, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer has penned a letter to the Police Commissioner calling on the NYPD to clamp down on motorists who park illegally on sidewalks and in bicycle lanes within the district.
In an open letter posted on Twitter Tuesday morning, Van Bramer said that the 108th Precinct, which covers Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City, had become an “epicenter” of illegally parked cars.
“The precinct is overrun with illegally parked cars whose owners have no concern or respect for the law or residents of the community,” Van Bramer wrote.
Van Bramer said that the problem of illegally parked cars has become an epidemic. He said that parents are often forced to walk their children to school on the road because the sidewalks are blocked by cars.
The Council Member added that the present situation was unsafe and unacceptable. He said that 15 cyclists have died this year and that illegally parked cars — particularly those in bike lanes–contribute to unsafe conditions for bicyclists.
“We need the enforcement and the resources to make this precinct safer,” Van Bramer wrote. “Cars that are illegally parked must get ticketed and towed.”
In his letter, Van Bramer listed a number of trouble spots where greater enforcement is needed. One of the problem areas, he noted, is on 50th Avenue outside the stationhouse.
Residents have taken to twitter to complain about the parking issue outside the precinct. Resident Rodrigo Salazar has been posting photos of vehicles blocking the sideway there for many months.
Illegal parking on our sidewalks & in our bike lanes is out of control in the @NYPD108Pct. I’m calling on @NYPDONeill to get involved here & enforce an immediate crackdown on drivers who continue to disregard the law & endanger our community. pic.twitter.com/46IfDSXDXm
— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) July 9, 2019
@NYCDisabilities how a wheelchair can cross the street? @NYPD108Pct cans do better than this @NYCMayor @VisionZeroNYC @NYC_DOT @NYPDQueensNorth https://t.co/X7BGB66IsS
— Rodrigo Salazar (@pabilas) June 22, 2019
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15 Comments
I am pretty sure you can park in any cop zone without penalty
I wish the 112th would do something about a handful of cars parking in front of a fire hydrant every day!! They are never ticketed, there are no permits (although even if they had them, it’s still illegal to park less than 15 feet from a hydrant and these self-important buttheads park right in front, sometimes even blocking part of the crosswalk) and some have out of state plates (what a shock; I don’t think there are any drivers in PA or Fl because they all seem to be in my neighborhood). I have driven around for close to an hour on many occasions and if I parked where they do, I’d get a ticket. Although there is one car that has a Court Officer’s permit on his dashboard and never gets a ticket for not moving his car on alternate side parking days and the area is nowhere NEAR a courthouse!
All power to illegal parkers!
Remove the bike lines on Skillman!
In addition to the plague of illegally parking on the sidewalk, local businesses, including Floresta on 51st Avenue, also regularly park at the fire hydrant and never seem to get ticketed or towed. This just fosters a sense that there is no sense of consideration of neighbors in LIC and that the cops don’t care at all.
Does the parking at the fire infringe on you?
Stop hating.
Add the corner of Greenpoint Avenue and 38th Street.
The big problem, as I see it, is the constant and persistent lack of enforcement in LIC. A car can quite literally speed and blow a light, and LIC police will be right behind and do nothing. The culture being created is one whereas the local precinct continues to prioritize itself over the community, alienating the residents.
Why can’t Van Bremer just plainly say that the “owners” of the vehicles that are illegally parked in the precinct, including on 50th Avenue, are in fact cops? Crazy!
I’m curious to know why people would give thumbs down. This is true but also the post office, Verizon, and construction works. Everyone does it but they do it because there is no repercussion. But sure, let’s pull over more bikes…I have seen elderly in the snow trying to walk around post office trucks parked on the sidewalks in ways that are precarious for them. But hey, if people fall, sue the city. IT all comes back to us either way.
The police are the worst offenders!!!
“When parking is not otherwise restricted, no person shall park a commercial vehicle in any area, including a residential area, in excess of three hours.”
Serial offenders in the neighborhood include Court Square Diner, Bartleby & Sage, and Mr. Chicken, among others
Maybe remove more public parking space and give them to the officers.
The hole in the ground at Vernon Blvd and 50th Ave should be filled in and turned into a parking lot for the cops. Getting their vehicles off the street would be a big first step.
Agreed, especially as this spot WAS a parking lot prior to the eternal green boards going up.
Good work Rodrigo. I’ve been bitching about this for years, including to Van Bramer’s office.
One fact that continues un-reported is that many of the cars aren’t even NYPD – they belong to contractors and other private businesses. It’s such a blatant insult to the community and epitomizes cops’ attitude toward their neighbors.