Meter Maids Sticking It to Residential Nabes
While overall crime rates continue to fall around the borough (even in North Brooklyn, where yesterday’s headlines focused on a rise in murders, saw 17 percent fewer robberies in the first 5 1/2 months of 2007), one threat to civilized society apparently continues to grow: scofflaw parkers. In Bay Ridge, parking violations were up 9…
While overall crime rates continue to fall around the borough (even in North Brooklyn, where yesterday’s headlines focused on a rise in murders, saw 17 percent fewer robberies in the first 5 1/2 months of 2007), one threat to civilized society apparently continues to grow: scofflaw parkers. In Bay Ridge, parking violations were up 9 percent through June 10; in Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace, 25.9 percent; in Red Hook, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens, 4.3 percent; in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO, 6.6 percent. “A 25% jump is quite a jump in this community, especially when we have to move cars four times a week for alternate-side parking,” said Jeremy Laufer, district manager of Community Board 7 in Sunset Park. So are people really violating parking laws more than in the past or are the police just thinking more like bank robbers? “Why do they come to Bay Ridge?” asked Bob Cassara, president of the Bay Ridge Community Council. “Because that’s where the money is, and there’s a lot of money in ticketing people.” Exactly: A nice fat middle-class tax hike.
Parking Tickets on the Rise [NY Daily News]
Murder Up in North Brooklyn, Down in South [Brownstoner]
Brownstoner, it’s your blog and you get to have whatever opinions you want, but I am frustrated with this one and I wonder if you could clarify. How is enforcing existing laws a “nice middle-class tax hike?” I think it’s lazy when people write the cost of a few tickets into the overall price of their car ownership. Then if they went over their “ticket budget” they get frustrated. Well, you have a few choices: a) do a better job of getting out of bed and moving your car, b) pay for parking, or c) sell your car. What am I missing here?
Funny I think the NYPD should be giving out 10x the number of tickets they do now. There are a bunch of nut jobs in Brooklyn who double park all over the place, but the biggest problem is moving violations. I wish the NYPD used some of they money they raised from ticketing to get the a–holes who don’t know what a turn signal is, who pass you on the right on the sidewalk so they can run the red light, who drive in the bicycle lanes, etc.. These people should be taken off the road permanently. If license suspension doesn’t work they should be imprisoned for as long as it takes.
Also the double parking ticket NEEDS to be raised and the law enforced. $115? That should be the minimum, index it to 1% of the car’s bluebook value for the first ticket of the year, increasing 1% for each additional ticket.
This discussion also reminds me that I have a parking ticket I need to pay…
This ticket blitz isn’t confined to Brooklyn. For years, in Manhattan, during street cleaning, the traffic agents would let you sit (i.e., stand) in the car on the “cleaning” side and just move aside for the sweeper, or double-park across the street. Within the past three or four months, they have started ticketing people who do either. Nothing like getting a ticket while still sitting in your car. Guess they would rather have people drive around the city in circles for an hour and a half, burning up fuel.
Oh, the joys of not owning a car!
You break the law, you get a ticket. What is the problem here?
I hope all of you with tickets are fighting them, regardless of whether you’re guilty or not. The DOT almost always knocks down the fine if you fight it just by sending in a “not guilty.” I received a bunch of tickets when my registration expired. All of them got knocked down about 50%, even though there was no way I was innocent.
I think Mr Ridge hit the nail on the head.
In politics as in physics, every action creates an opposite reaction.
This Mayor will not be crossed, he has more money than a King, and I think he is feeling every bit Henry the Eightish.
11:16, what do you want, a f*cking medal? Why don’t you have a placard made up and put on your windshield while you’re at it.
The reason why Bay Ridge has been blitzed with tickets, is the City Councilman, Vincent Gentile of Bay Ridge, was the one that stuck his neck out and diligently worked the bill to suspend Sunday Meters, and reverses the Mayors Law, which makes Sunday Meter Regulations, No Longer In Effect. The Mayor just inundated Bay Ridge with the Traffic Nazi’s and made up the projected revenue with more tickets to Mr.Gentile’s constituents.