Photo: QueensPost
Aug. 30, 2012 By Bill Parry
Several residents who had parked their car on 46th Street on Monday night wondered were baffled when they could not find their vehicle on Tuesday.
Some residents discovered that their car had been removed by the Department of Transportation to another section of the neighborhood. The DOT cleared the street so it could mill the road from 39th Ave through to Queens Blvd as part of its ongoing roadwork.
The DOT had posted signs on 46th Street on Sunday evening, notifying residents of the upcoming roadwork. It warned them that they would face penalties—and their car removed—if they parked along the street on Tuesday.
However, some residents argued that the signs were not visible on some sections of 46th Street. They claimed that the signs were not clearly displayed on 46th Street between Skillman Ave. and Queens Blvd.
When George and Elena Molosag parked their car on 46th Street (by 43rd Ave) on Sunday evening they didn’t see any signs. When they went to get their car on Tuesday it was gone.
The handicapped couple, both seniors, needed the help of their nephew Nicolai to track it down. “This is very difficult for them with their age and handicap,” Nicolai said.
“I got no help from the 108th Precinct [in finding it],” he said. He went to the pound under the BQE and had no luck locating it.
“We found my uncle’s car at 39th Ave. and 43rd St. after driving around for three hours,” he said, adding that the car “had a parking ticket on it.”
Meanwhile, John O’Connor, a nearby resident, was relatively lucky when he searched for his car. He was told by a DOT supervisor that his van could be found ten blocks away.
O’Connor said he didn’t notice any DOT signs. “When I parked last night [Monday] I checked and didn’t see any.”
Featured Events
7 Comments
I saw one sign on 48th street about no parking on Monday. Be warned. I feel like there should be a better way than posting paper notices. We have the internetz!
Upon exiting my building between 43 avenue and skillman on Monday morning for work, there were no signs posted. When I returned in the evening I noticed the signs that had been posted. I often park on a block other than my own,wherever a space can be found, and i return to the space in midweek to move it for the alternate side. Advance notice needs to be posted in the train stations as well as only the effected street since parkers may not see the notice if it is not on a route normally taken.
They definitely did a good job of posting signs between QB and GP. plenty were up a few days in advance – I wonder if they learned from their mistake earlier in the week when they apparently didn’t do a great job notifying the public.
gotta say, unfortunately I’m not the least bit surprised that the 108 was not helpful. If they can’t even alert building tenants that their neighbor killed his wife and is still at large, something like relocated cars has no chance.
Last spring, my car was relocated by the DOT for last minute roadwork. I would have been happier with a ticket. Instead, I learned that it had been relocated around 6am and parked in a bus stop. It was towed to the pound two hours later (apparently by a different division according to the 108th). My appeal is still pending.
Why not place one of those big portable electronic signs that spell out messages on a corner a few days before a street needs to be clear of cars? The sign could be programmed to turn off at 9 PM and turn back on again at 8 AM, and removed on the day that cars need to be off the street.
I saw lots of signs as well. But only on Monday. The DOT should mail everyone on the affected block a letter ahead of time as well. I saw the tow trucks moving cars, but it looked to me like they were only towing them down the street… not ten blocks away.
I saw signs taped to trees, poles and in the lobby of my apartment for days before the road work.