PHOTO: Assemblyman Goldfeder has written a letter to the city TLC, urging the agency to help combat the practice of parking or idling on the side of the Nassau Expressway between JFK Airport and Howard Beach (see: three vehicles parked or standing far r.) Courtesy of YouTube/RoadwayWiz
By Michael V. Cusenza
Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) this week urged the city Taxi and Limousine Commission to ramp up efforts to combat longstanding practice of roadside parking and idling by for-hire vehicles along a stretch of the eastbound Nassau Expressway between Howard Beach and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
In a letter to TLC Chairwoman Meera Joshi, Goldfeder requested increased enforcement of stopping and standing by TLC-licensed vehicles on this segment of the expressway which serves as a major thoroughfare for drivers merging from the Belt Parkway on to the Van Wyck Expressway. According to Goldfeder, motorists report vehicles abruptly pulling into and out of oncoming traffic, endangering drivers.
Goldfeder noted in the missive that the practice has been the subject of multiple enforcement efforts by the 106th Precinct and Highway Patrol in recent years, but that it continues unabated.
“The Nassau Expressway is one of the busiest roadways in our community,” Goldfeder noted. “Drivers should not have to contend with parked cars pulling into 50-mile-an-hour oncoming traffic. I urge the TLC to take the necessary steps to put an end to this dangerous practice before someone gets seriously injured.”
Some anxious residents brought their concerns regarding the issue to the Howard Beach-Lindenwood Civic meeting last Tuesday.
“Members of our civic often complain of drivers zooming out into traffic when they get the call from a fare,” said the group’s Vice President Barbara McNamara. “In his short time as commander of the 106th Precinct, Captain [James] Fey has done a tremendous job in responding to this problem and making the Expressway safer for motorists. The enforcement we’ve seen from the Highway Patrol in recent days has been a direct result of Captain Fey listening to the civic and Assemblyman Goldfeder’s office, and responding to our concerns. Now the Taxi and Limousine Commission needs to follow the precinct’s lead and step up efforts to police its members.”
TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg told The Forum, “We appreciate Assembly Member Goldfeder’s advocacy on this issue, and we’re pleased to confirm that the TLC is working closely with the 106th Precinct on a joint initiative to alleviate the problem.”
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
