Photo Courtesy of Queens Crap
A tractor trailer parked precariously along South Conduit Avenue near 126th Street in South Ozone Park.
By Michael V. Cusenza
It seems that the problem of illegally parked trucks has reared its ugly head again in South Ozone Park along South Conduit Avenue, according to one exasperated resident.
“We are now heading into the year 2020 and as you can see the 106 pct is still doing nothing about the illegally parked tractor trailers obstructing drivers’ views of traffic on South Conduit and tractor trailers parking next to residential homes,” the concerned constituent wrote to the Queens Crap blog.
In their note to QC, the resident also pointed out that, “In 2017 and 2018 I wrote into Queens Crapper about the illegally parked tractor trailers parking in South Ozone Park on South Conduit Ave between 125th streets to 127th streets…”
Indeed, The Forum documented dangerous conditions in South Ozone Park resulting from trucks and trailers parked for days at a time near busy intersections along both North and South Conduit avenues. The issue has even left area cops vexed.
“The South Conduit corridor is a consistent problem regarding overnight commercial parking,” Capt. Mike Edmonds, executive officer of the 106th Precinct, told The Forum on Tuesday. “We conducted a heavy-duty tow initiative on Nov. 29, resulting in one commercial truck being towed, seven boots placed on trucks, and 33 night-time parking summons issued. It’s a small sample of what we continually do throughout the year. I will re-emphasize to our midnight officers to continue enforcing the law.”
Earlier this year, the City Council voted in favor of a bill that would create a higher fine for commercial vehicles that are tractor-trailer combinations, tractors, truck trailers or semi-trailers parked overnight on a residential street. The fine for a first violation is currently $250, and for a second violation within a six-month period it is $500. This measure would create increased fines adjudicated through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings in the amount of $400 and $800 for the first and second offenses, respectively.
“The drivers of commercial tractor-trailers routinely abuse our City’s parking regulations, and degrade the quality-of-life of communities throughout the five boroughs by parking next to homes and other inappropriate locations, leaving pollution and debris in their wake,” said the bill’s sponsor, Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans). “The current fines imposed on big-rig drivers have not been effective in curbing their abusive practices, which they deem the cost of doing business, but, in actuality, the greatest expense is the health and safety of our communities. Now, we will send a clear message to the bad actors operating within the trucking industry that the price for such flagrant abuses will be steep. I thank Speaker Johnson and my colleagues for supporting the enactment of this measure. The time has come to bring the force of law to bear on those who routinely flout the rules and engage in commercial truck abuse, and this legislation only represents the beginning of that endeavor.”
