Downtown Brooklyn is filled with illegally parked cars blocking sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes and loading zones, undermining public safety on a daily basis, a new report found.
In a illegal parking study released on Monday, Council Member Lincoln Restler’s office surveyed 60 blocks of Downtown Brooklyn to determine the frequency and extent of illegal parking during a four-week period from May 26 to June 20.
On an average weekday, there were 457 illegally parked vehicles in Downtown Brooklyn, of which 186 vehicles (41%) had official parking placards, but were still parked illegally, such as on sidewalks or in no standing zones. An additional 74 (16%) had fake placards, including city agency gear or vests on the dashboard. About 41%, or 185 cars were parked illegally without a real or fake placard, the report said.
Only 3% of observed illegally parked cars had been issued a ticket.
“Illegal parking has taken over every block of Downtown Brooklyn," Restler said in a statement. "Drivers who choose to illegally park create dangerous conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers. The majority of offenders are government workers and contractors who should know better than anyone the importance of following the rules."
Illegal parking was most prevalent around Kings County courthouses on Adams Street (Brooklyn Bridge Blvd.) and Tillary Street, between Prince and Navy Streets, the report said.
On an average day, there were 63 vehicles parked illegally on Adams Street and over 60% of those cars had an official placard. Tillary Street, between Prince and Navy Streets, is adjacent to 84th Police Precinct (301 Gold St.), FDNY Engine 207 and Ladder 110 (172 Tillary St.) and NYPD Transit Special Victims Unit (300 Gold St.). In total, there were 112 cars parked illegally every day on the five blocks surrounding these buildings.
The New York Police Department has "aggressively addressed" illegal parking conditions in the 84th Precinct, a spokesperson said.
Year to date, the NYPD issued 113,429 parking summonses, including 821 placard summonses, towed 2,018 vehicles and booted 511 vehicles, according to the spokesperson. The department has also worked with the Department of Transportation to place “Tow Away Zone” signs at Tillary and Navy Streets, and underneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway to alert motorists of the prohibited parking area.
Nevertheless, the City Council should pass a bill to revoke 60,000 city-issue parking placards and implement aggressive enforcement practices whether vehicles have a placard or not, Restler said.
He also called for new street safety designs to prevent illegal parking on sidewalks and in bike lanes, along with the adoption of citizen and automated parking enforcement.
"There is negligible enforcement against illegal parking, and it’s time that we take action to abolish government placards and improve street designs to make Downtown Brooklyn safer for all," Restler said.
