Readers Write: Can You Tell Me Where to Park?

Dear Editor. 

Thank you for an incredible publication, and thank you for the opportunity to sound off about an issue that has really irked me this week. 

A great number of cars were towed from one area in Boro Park this week alone! Numerous vehicle owners who have places to go and things to attend to had to go fetch their cars from who-knows-where.

Lest you think that this was merely due to the carelessness of these drivers who couldn’t be bothered to find a legal spot to park; no! There simply are no parking spots available! 

Let me explain. 

Boro Park is now in the midst of a repaving project where the DOT is repaving multiple areas in the neighborhood. In order to be able to do their work of ripping up the streets, they need it to be clear of cars and have banned parking on long stretches of streets from 6:00 in the morning. 

This is understandable, and on some days, it would even be reasonable to expect that residents find parking on surrounding streets. But the repaving work took place on days when there are alternate side parking rules in effect on the surrounding streets—and double parking is not even allowed on some of those blocks! 

This in a neighborhood where parking at any time is already so scarce. 

I want to make clear that I deeply appreciate what the DOT is doing for the neighborhood by repaving, but the DOT obviously did not think through the days that they chose to do the work. they correctly assumed that the city is emptier during the summer, but during the week, when the men are in the city, the parking issue remains very real. 

The least they could have done was to cancel alternate side parking for those days, so people have a chance of finding parking!

Meanwhile (in addition to the many cars that were towed from the affected streets) meter mates were out in full force in the entire area, giving out tickets to whichever vehicle they could find. 

Let us set one thing straight: Government is here to serve the people, not to oppress them. 

The events of this week were more of the latter and less of the former. 

Is it too much to expect government to think for a moment about the consequences of their actions?! Is it too much to ask that they put a little thought into what they do and when they do it and what kind of effect it will have on the people they’re ostensibly here to serve?! 

Frustrated,

Shlomo Hershkowitz, Boro Park