NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio wrote a letter to NYPD Chief (of Transportation) James Tuller regarding the recent ticket and towing blitz which took place in Williamsburg over Pesach.
More than 41 cars were towed and more than 100 given summonses, even though it was Pesach.Parking was scheduled to be suspended Tuesday and Wednesday for Pesach, but the NYPD apparently thought the affected days were Monday and Tuesday.
The following is the text of the letter:
May 9, 2011
Chief of Transportation Bureau James Tuller
New York Police Department
1 Police Plaza
New York, NY 10007
Dear Chief Tuller,
My office has received numerous complaints from residents of Williamsburg who received parking tickets during the Passover holiday. Some vehicles were towed away, at the owners’ expense. In total, between April 19 and 20, traffic enforcement towed 41 vehicles and issued 100 summonses for parking in a “no standing” zone during rush hour along Bedford and Lee Avenues.
Many of those observing Passover in Williamsburg are prohibited from driving, making it impossible to move their vehicles once the holiday has begun. For many years, a tacit understanding between the community and local precinct allowed for some degree of parking flexibility during holidays. What disturbs me is that this year’s increase in enforcement activity came unannounced, and in a manner that left resident without any recourse to move their vehicles. This is a clear breakdown in communication with the community which has led to significant frustration and expense for affected residents.
If the NYPD has concerns about safety or traffic flow in Williamsburg necessitating increased enforcement, it should have raised them prior to the holiday when residents could have made alternative arrangements. Failure to notify that community in advance of resulted in many needless tickets being issued, without necessarily increasing compliance with traffic laws.
I urge you to engage more proactively with area residents to create honest and clear expectations regarding the enforcement of parking regulations, so that we can avoid future incidents of this nature.
Sincerely,
Bill de Blasio
Public Advocate for the City of New York
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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8 Responses
Parking in a “no standing zone” is not permitted even when alternate side parking for street cleaning is suspended, and all of NYC is considered a “tow away zone” so the letter has me quite confused.
What was the end result? Were the people whose cars were towed able to get them back with NO FEE?
This letter tells a very different story than we were led to believe originally. When the story broke it sounded like the traffic agents (formally know as “brownies”) ticketed cars for alternate side even though it was suspended. Now it sounds like the citizens of Willy were really parked illegally and what a shocker the law caught up with them!!??!! I can’t understand the mindset of Inzer Heimishe Bridren why they always think they’re above the law. Mybe someone out there can explain.
yaakov, laytzonay hador omrim,
please read.
the letter stats “no standing during rush hours”. They parked there when it was not rush hour, and assumed that as always during holidays, the sign will not be in effect.
don’t be a Jewish Jewish-hater. we have enough of them already.
In the city its almost impossible to park leagaly since you need to move it every few hours witch of course is impossible during yom tov.
I dont know the streets in question where tickets were issued and cars towed, but how much traffic congestion could there be in williamsburg over pesach, most of the residents are not driving because of the chag, there is no school, not even public school, because it is easter week, doesnt sound unreasonable that certain traffic restrictions are relaxed at this time and the letter certainly makes this point.
I live near a yeshiva that has “no parking school days 8am-5pm” and over chol hamoed succos people got tickets. I know someone who went to fight the ticket and brought along a school calendar showing no yeshiva and they wouldnt hear of it stating the sign has nothing to do with the yeshiva, rather the public school system. so, sundays and legal holidays when no public school, there is a mess because you can parkl in front of the yeshiva and the school buses end up double parking. chol hamoed when no yeshiva a dozen parking spaces go to waste all day because people will be ticketed. nobody wins, except the department of finance coffers.
Because we are unable to move our cars during the Yom Toivim, when alternate side regulations first came into effect on the Lower East Side, it was arranged to suspend them on the Yom Toivim. These are the only parking regulations suspended for our benefit.
Just because one parks in a space when it’s allowed or a meter when meters are not in effect, doesn’t give 49 hours of exemption when the regulations are in effect.
Those who misunderstood should pay the ticket and tow as I have when I have made similiar mistakes.
yaakov-
they didn’t “misunderstand”. It was understood, the same way you rightfully understood the suspension of alternate side regulations in your neighborhood, that this rule would be suspended for Yom Tov as it was in the past.
Just because YOU made mistakes and paid for them doesn’t give you bragging rights for others who did nothing wrong.