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March 2, 2009

Firemen, Cops, Judges Still Parking Illegally Downtown

Downtown Brooklyn is still the capital of parking abuse by government employees, despite widespread exposure of the issue. In addition to the Adams Street bike lane, which we've been harping about for some time, other problem spots include Gold Street off Myrtle Avenue where a check by The Daily News last week found 29 cars of firefighters illegally parked, six of them on the sidewalk and Jay Street, where cops and firefighters were parked at expired meters with impunity. "They park in front of hydrants, crosswalks and bus stops," said Michael Burke of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, which has been advocating parking reform in the area. "It's a safety issue," he said. "It adds to a sense of lawless in the community."
Downtown Brooklyn Is Place for Parking Abuse [NY Daily News]
Checking In On the Adams Street Bike Lane [Brownstoner]

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"it adds a sense of lawless.." lucy lawless?

*r*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at March 2, 2009 9:48 AM

It also creates an unhealthy divide, where some city employees act as if they are more entitled than other city workers and the public in general.

Posted by: g man at March 2, 2009 10:05 AM

It is a disgrace. ADAs/cops park private cars in the crosswalk on Jay at MYT every day. I have even seen them harrass a pedestrian whom they almost hit in the crosswalk at the curb while the guy was trying to get around their car (he had the light). Some day they will either directly or indirectly cause a serious injury. Hynes hsoudl do somethig about it.

Posted by: BH76 at March 2, 2009 10:21 AM

hmmm,

maybe we should put some cameras at these locations to try to protect the public servants. they have rights dont they?

oh yeah, they are tromping on ours.

fire their entitled asses. with video we will know who they are.

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 10:23 AM

The city will need to address the parking problem downtown.
It will not go away by stomping our feet and telling people not to use cars. It seems to me that they we need solutions such as building an undergorund garage under Cadman Plaza Park, or at the site of the useless and empty House of Detention. The new Court buildings have parking but the old ones have very limited parking. Some believe that if they reduce the amount of parking, people will stop using their cars. I don't see that approach working. People will use the park or get special placards to park on any open space. Wouldn't it be more rational to figure out an option so as to eliminate this problem in a positive way rather than by telling judges to take the bus?
Let's hold off on the preaching and do a little urban planning.

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 10:48 AM

I don't want the city spending taxpayer money building parking garages for civil servants, do you? This is an easy problem to solve -- eliminate/reduce placards and/or properly enforce their use. Any car blocking a sidewalk/crosswalk/bike lane should simply be towed, regardless of what's on the dashboard. I utterly fail to understand why this is such a difficult issue to master. If judges want to drive to work they can pay for their own parking like the rest of us.

Posted by: zgori at March 2, 2009 10:59 AM

And I love the fact that Bloomberg cut the number of placards for City teachers. Teacher's placards only work in designated spots around schools during designated days and times.

Yet our placards get pulled (I'm a city teacher).

I'm all for placards if used properly, but to drastically cut teacher's (I believe the number was 50,000) when ours our limited use to begin with yet still allow PD and FD to use them wherever and whenever...

Sucks.

I'm not a fame of our esteemed Mayor

Posted by: christopher at March 2, 2009 11:04 AM

Zquori: Why not make civil servant sleep on little cots next to their offices? I get the feeling you think that is all that servants deserve anyway.

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 11:12 AM

askmarty@brooklynbp.nyc.gov

yassky@council.nyc.ny.us

I would suggest we all e-mail Marty Markowitz & David Yassky and ask them what they are doing about this.

If these city employees can't find adequate LEGAL parking spots then maybe they need to take mass transit like the rest of us. These egregious abuses and self declared entitlements need to stop.

Posted by: Pluto at March 2, 2009 11:32 AM

sam,

how does zquori's answer bother you?

enforce rules. no special job exemptions.

seems simple.

why the venom?

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 11:50 AM

Cops drive the wrong way down Cambridge Place almost daily. I regularly see cops jumping red lights. The day before yesterday I watched a cop double park on Fulton St to get takeout food. All part of the same sense of entitlement.

Posted by: cambridgeplaceholder at March 2, 2009 11:55 AM

My dad is a retired cop and even he agrees that it's bad for everyone. It lessens peoples respect for the police force when they are seen abusing their powers.

For those officers that are required to appear in court there should be parking set aside as it's a requirement of the job. For those just looking to skirt paying for or finding adequate parking while they get their lunch the same rules that govern us should apply.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at March 2, 2009 12:00 PM

Judges have parking garage....but don't want to walk more than a few steps.
Streets off Jay north of Tillary are sign no parking anytime.. but really means reserved for Traffic enforcement officers private cars.
Cops park anywhere....Morning rush hour they are parked on 3rd avenue in Manhattan in bus lane near 51st....same as anywhere near a precinct.

Posted by: Petebklyn at March 2, 2009 12:04 PM

I hardly think cops are alone in double parking on Fulton to get takeout. My boyfriend, who is from Atlanta, was stunned when he rrived here and saw all the double parkers (okay he is easily stunned). That said, I agree that the illegal parking by judges and police around courthouses shows a contempt for the law and the public. Many judges I work with in the Bronx take to train to work. This whole myth that judges need to park within feet of their offices or they will be hunted down by mobs is laughable. And if there are mobs after them, well, maybe they should rethink some of thier rulings..

Posted by: Putnamdenizen at March 2, 2009 12:06 PM

>Why not make civil servant sleep on little cots next to their offices?

That's not necessary. I'm happy for them to be paid fair living wages and decent benefits. I'm even happy for them to receive transit checks or whatever those things are called, just as many private employers offer. If they want to drive to work, they need to follow the rules and/or pay their own way just like everyone else.

I really don't see how this is an anti-civil-servant position.

Posted by: zgori at March 2, 2009 12:20 PM

Good luck writing to the politicians. There's a family near me (perpetually "on official business") that has a couple of favorite illegal spots on my block--next to a fire hydrant, blocking the crosswalk. Certificates on the dash indicate he or she is a home town congressional staffer with parking dispensation (for business! and not to block a fire hydrant!) from the state.

There's a receptive audience for your cards, letters and phone calls.

Better solution: Shame them! I've seen a blog that publishes photos (with license numbers) of cars blocking bike lanes. Why not something similar for judges, cops and politicos?

Posted by: uglyjohnny at March 2, 2009 12:28 PM

illegally parked car?
meet my key.
key?
meet illegally parked car.

for the moment, until the problem goes away, looks like justice to me.

Posted by: Prodigal_Son at March 2, 2009 12:30 PM

Prodigal son, there are a lot of survellaince cameras now everywhere. Keying the cars of public officials (many of which are city-owned anyway) is one of those things that can land you in a world of hurt.

I wish that folks would understand that in a big city like New York there is a need for ALL kinds of transportation. What works for some does not work for others. Asking the civil service to give up their special priviliges is like telling the Wall Street bankers to give up their bonuses. It isn't easy. therefore, here's a thought: build more public parking with reserved areas for the police and court officers! Once you do that, then you can take away their "park anywhere" placards.
The Civil Service is a powerful political group in NY. Most people have no idea and think they can somehow be browbeaten into giving up percs and settling for less. Ha! The private sector will be begging for quarters while the civil service will still be parking wherever they please. It is life. My suggestion is a practical one given those real life issues.

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 12:47 PM

This is a problem that is not easily solved. Keying cars is definitely not the way to do it but unfortunately neither is writing public officials. Public Officials seek endorsements and money from these big unions when they are up for re-election. Even if a public official were so inclined to speak out against it, they do so knowing full well that the NYPD who control both the Police and Traffic agents are the enforcers of the parking policy and they will not ticket their own.

I do empathize with the plight of these civil servants though. Many of them work odd hours and on weekends and the threat of retribution has got to be real considering their client pool. Some of them have to be at work during ungodly hours which would mean riding the subway at 3 or 4 in the morning from the suburbs because the majority of them can't afford to live in the city.

I am sure that there are those who would love to ban cars altogether. Fat Chance. The development of the downtown area especially building a hotel near the court was a diaster from the start and most of the new buildings were built on parking lots. The best thing to do would be to build a parking facility.

Posted by: Chosen at March 2, 2009 2:13 PM

horsesh*t.

we arent talking about oddball hours. or weekends. we are talking m-f 9-5 in the business core district of brooklyn.

meter everything.

enforce everything. if they arnet carting prisoner, no exception.

estabilsh a chain of blame. hold the superiors accountable (public shaming will soon be in vogue again).

make sure any politician who doesnt back this fully is gone. donations from unions will stop if they see that they cant buy their way around the rules.

aargh.

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 2:37 PM

Sam;

You're way off on this one, friend. I think your proposal is untenable in the current economic situation.

Folks in private industry are being increasinly asked to pay more and more of their helth-care premiums and they have watched the concept of a defined-benefit pension go the way of the do-do bird. Civil-service employees enjoy generous benefits and perks that are way above the norm in private industry, and enjoy union protection against the risk of sudden layoff. Now you are advocating that they enjoy another perk?!?! No way!!

I am not a mass-transit freak. If they want to drive to downtown, all well and good, but act responsibly and put your car in a garage or legal parking spot, like ordinary citizens.

I have to agree with THL's comments. I come from a family of civil servants, and in general I am a huge supporter of the police force. I don't know why they have to degrade their relationship with the community by choosing to park whereever they please. I believe that they do alot of damage to their image by insisting on this perk.

Posted by: benson at March 2, 2009 3:01 PM

Not true. The criminal court operates 24 hour a day, 7 days a week. Supreme courts are often open and staffed until about 9 pm on weekdays. Everything doesn't stop when the public leaves at 5. Besides although the mayor did cut back on the number of permits, the unions issue their own member permit/cards which is not illegal for them to do. Other than writing ticket upon ticket, which will be scratched at the end of the day by their co-workers anyway, it would be extremely difficult to bring disciplinary charges against these civil servants most of whom are not actually engaged in their official duties when they park illegally.

Holding supervisors accountable, Yeah right. Ray Kelly allows staff assigned to Police Plaza to park on the exit ramp of the Brooklyn Bridge. Our Mayor is running for re-election and he will probably win and he is not getting rid of Kelly. Not much will change.

Posted by: Chosen at March 2, 2009 3:07 PM

if you are serious about this....

video.

photos.

blog.

microphones.

refusals of culprits to make a statement as they are interviewed upon leaving car.

eternal webfame for the culprits.

complaints by culprits.

more cops to stop the harassment of culprits.

the new urban theater.

its like graffitti. if they get nailed everytime and someone loses an election over it it will stop. eteral vigilance everyone.

publish names.

publish photos.

publish statistics.

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 3:33 PM

illegally parked car?
meet my key.
key?
meet illegally parked car.

I would love to see some retard getting caught doing that, especially to a cop's car!

The whole financial world is crashing and I love it. This is the beginning of the exodus of self entitled retards getting killed financially. The Cops don't double park in Ohio..

The What (Say Buh Bye retards)

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: Return of The What at March 2, 2009 3:41 PM

The cops, firemen, court officers, district attorneys and others are not just going to give up their parking priviliges any more than they are their health insurance. What benson states is true, the benefits of civil service jobs now outdo many private sector jobs. So whose fault is that? Who are the dummies in that scenario?
I love the folks who write: enforce the laws on everyone!!
Who the hell do you think is doing the enforcing? The cops are not going to ticket their own. hell will freeze over first.

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 4:18 PM

@Sam

The city and state are facing massive deficits, the mta is threatening severe service cuts and fare increases, and you're proposing we devote money to reserved parking spaces in new structures in one of the most dense and expensive neighborhoods in the city. All so that one very specific class of commuters will grace the rest of us with the blessing of being able to use our own sidewalks and crosswalks.

Practical is not the term I would use.

This is a deeply entrenched cultural problem, yes. It would take vision and political courage to remedy, yes. But the solution itself is damn simple and doesn't cost a cent.

Posted by: zgori at March 2, 2009 4:34 PM

zqri, we obviously could not disagree more. It would not make sense to build a garage structure except that the area is so dense and crowded. And the fact that it is an expensive neighborhood would mean that the parking spaces set aside for the public could bring in a good revenue stream.
I actually think that public works like a new civic center garage is just what we need right now to boost the economy, spend some stimulus dollars, and get people working. The clueless believe that what we need to do is not spend, but actually the opposite is true.
You know we are not going to get through this depression by hoarding our pennies and bad-mouthing cops and other civil servants. As FDR would say: we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 5:20 PM

Sam you are so right. I don't think that misuse of placards is honorable but it is just one of those things. Civil servants have become the scapegoats. In this economic climate, I sure as hell wish that I had taken a civil service job. We weren't complaining much about their perks when ours - those of us in private industry - were better than theirs.

So what if we started harassing cops and judges as they got into their illegally parked? We'd probably get arrested by one of that cop's friends and then sentenced to life in prison by one of that judges buddies. The other cops would then start harassing us! They could issue tickets for every minor infraction of law like jaywalking, not signaling when turning on a bike or in car, etc...

The political solution would be to find a candidate for mayor who will seriously make this a priority by letting his Police Commish know that he/she meant business. Of course that candidate wouldn't win. So just build the parking lot like Sam said.

Posted by: Chosen at March 2, 2009 5:36 PM

I'm all for spending and for investing in infrastructure, but it's not an excuse to push through any old project. New city owned parking structures which serve primarily as free parking for government employee commuters is simply not a good use of government/stimulus dollars. (Garages that house government owned vehicles for use by government employees in the course of business I might be willing to concede, but for the most part that's not what we're talking about.) I can think of many many better ways to spend stimulus money on transportation that would benefit large segments of the population, not just an arbitrary few. Mass transit is one. How about our airports, which are so far over capacity that they snarl the entire US air network. Or, if you want to talk cars, let's discuss the Gowanus expressway, which is under endless repair because nobody will come up with the money to give it the full overhaul it needs. The point of spending in a recession is not just to hire construction works to pour any old slab of concrete, it's to invest in projects that lay the groundwork for recovery.

Anyway, you've changed the topic. A small number of civil servants may have a legitimate need to drive to work. They will need to be accommodated one way or another. For those who use it simply as a convenient means of commuting, it's not ok to create hazards in the neighborhood, and it's not ok to devote large chunks of taxpayer money.

Posted by: zgori at March 2, 2009 6:24 PM

what if 20 photographers were there every morning? telephoto lenses. 20 blogs.

lets set public policy via pressure from the public.

lets see 20 people get arrested every day because judges were parking illegally. time for some pitchforks here.

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 7:19 PM

what if 20 photographers were there every morning? telephoto lenses. 20 blogs.

lets set public policy via pressure from the public.

lets see 20 people get arrested every day because judges were parking illegally. time for some pitchforks here.

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 7:24 PM

Who has that kind of time bkn4life? Unemployed investment bankers maybe but a couple of inconsiderate civil servants parking illegally just isn't that important to most of us that we would resort to stalking in an attempt to stop them.

Posted by: Chosen at March 2, 2009 7:47 PM

Haven't there been a lot of studies showing that adding more parking attracts more cars? Also, there *is* parking in the area. But, unlike quasi-legal placard parking, it's not free.

Here's an idea for civil servants: no parking placards but free weekday MetroCards. And, as Townhouse Lady points out, maybe some time-limited free parking passes for people who really need to drive to courts.

Posted by: Brooklyn Chicken at March 2, 2009 7:51 PM

if you never have time for anything nothing will ever get changed.

there has to be 100 photogs on this blog.

20 a day.

once a week.

make a blog record of it. keep doing it. consider it like a food co-op shift.

it should be fun overturning rocks and shining some light on things.

you dont have to be a qualified/vetted journalist. just a body with a camera.

i have a body. i have a camera.

just need 99 more. it'll be "a movement."

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 8:08 PM

clueless, clueless, clueless.....

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 8:11 PM

cynical, cynical, cynical.....

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 8:29 PM

right! bkn, I will follow you, and your sixteen years of life experience to a better world....la...la....la

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 8:55 PM

NYPD officers have free Metrocards. Again, they come in from the suburbs because they can't afford to live here and they work crazy shifts that would require them to ride the subway at odd hours of the night. I wouldn't do it even if I had a gun.

Looks like a movement of one bkn4life. Good luck finding 99 more people for your project.

Posted by: Chosen at March 2, 2009 9:15 PM

try 45.

but maybe the 16 year olds might not be so ossified in position as you appear to be. maye they get it. transparancy at the government level will occur sooner rather than later. but dont park in the bike lane. its a hot button.

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 9:17 PM

No occification at all. Just realistic. Unlike Rush Limbaugh who hopes that Obama fails, I wish you well in your endeavor. If you accomplish your goal I will be the first to give you kudos. I won't hold my breath though.

Posted by: Chosen at March 2, 2009 9:31 PM

Forgot,

bkn4life - That login is so appropriate for where you might be headed if you are not careful. I would seek legal counsel before I started a campaign that could be miscontrued as harassment.

Posted by: Chosen at March 2, 2009 9:36 PM

ouch.

i love brownstoner for what it is. but i am aware of what its not.

its not a place of doing. its a place of lightly veiled snarking. thats its mystique. more power to it. as entertainment.

but my bet is that within 3 years, with or without me or chosen or sam, the judges wont be parking there.

change comes tough. especially to brooklyn. this blog is based on the pontifications of people who wouldnt have walked the streets ten years ago where they now own property. its pretty funny listening to them say nothing will ever change.

Posted by: bkn4life at March 2, 2009 9:38 PM

bkn4life: have you been drinking?

Posted by: sam at March 2, 2009 10:21 PM

Sam, more like he's been dringing. I am not one of those people bkn4life. I am Brooklyn born and bred. But you are right, the judges won't be parking there because they will build a lot for them.

Posted by: Chosen at March 3, 2009 12:37 PM

« Open Thread East River State Park Re-Opens Early »

March 2, 2009

Firemen, Cops, Judges Still Parking Illegally Downtown

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