Here’s one way to alter parking regulations without going through the cumbersome Dept. of Transportation procedure: change the signs yourself. This, apparently, is what an enterprise staff member at PS 38 in Boerum Hill has done, at least, according to some Boerum Hill residents. Per the Boerum Hill email list:
Arrived home tonight to discover that my car which was parked on the south side of Pacific between 3rd & Nevins in front of the PS 38 playground had been towed. The NO PARKING SCHOOL ZONE sign which previously pointed one way, towards the school had very obviously been altered to point both ways, rendering all of the south side of Pacific Street a school only parking block. According to neighbors, a custodian at the school had altered the sign. When they confronted him, they were told the school needs the whole block for teachers’ parking. I plan on calling DOT tomorrow and Yassky’s office and on fighting the ticket. You can clearly see that the sign had been altered. In the unlikely event this is legit, shouldn’t the block have been given some sort of notice?
There is also this follow up this morning:
Neighbors tell me the custodian at PS 38 came out while my car was being towed and said “You believe these people have the nerve to park here.” Further informed them that the school needed all of the block for parking and once I was towed said “great, now I have a parking spot.” Neighbors have also observed people parking with the school permits and then heading not for the school but the subway, another clear abuse of parking permits by city employees.
Personal initiative at its finest!
UPDATE: A reader writes to say that school’s Principal is looking into the matter but “denied that it could have been her staff.” He writes: “I spoke with the principal at PS 38 and she said she did not know about this and is looking in to it. She asked if I saw the person who changed the sign (I had not). She added that I was the first person to contact her about the sign, and denied that it could have been her staff.
The school needs to address the issue, and it would be good if the people who saw what happened would get facts to the principal. It it is true it is very bad; if it is false, this is a PR issue the school has to address. I hope people who are concerned, saw what happened, or had been towed would call the principal of the school. (718-330-9305)”
10 responses so far ↓
1 BestViewInBrooklyn // Apr 11, 2008 at 6:05 am
Hopefully the obnoxious hearsay comments about the custodian were fabricated by the neighbor for effect. When City employees abuse those placards (and I have one, but I have only used it twice in 18 months for school business) it gives us all a bad name.
Please don’t blame us all for a few bad, wormy apples!
2 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 6:56 am
Cops abuse parking permit too. Everynight in front of my building, there are 10 cars parked in a no parking zone. How can they park there when ther isn’t a police incident/crime.
3 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 8:44 am
Couple blocks from majority of NYC subway line (4,5,2,3,Q,R,D,etc,etc) and LIRR.
Now here is chance for Bloomberg to cut free parking for employees and does not need Albany o.k.
Why does there need to be any reserved parking at this school?
Yassky, Bloomberg, QUinn – are you listening?
4 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 10:05 am
i am an employee of Ps 38 and at no time has the custodian engineer nor his staff members seen nor made any comments to any one towing cars! “can you believe these people have the nerve to park here” and “good now i have a spot! maybe you should try asking the d.o.e. exterminator!
5 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 10:07 am
i live on the block and Yassky’s office has been super-responsive in advice on how to move forward, and getting to the truth.
6 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 10:19 am
And just to set the record straight for everyone who uses the word custodian: custodian engineer is the boss! and there is only one of them per building. there is a school fireman, handyman, and cleaners! so please when talking about the custodial staff get the titles right, especially when your reporting information!!!!
7 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 11:11 am
Ask yourself who benefits from changing the sign. School employees obviously. Who else would take a ladder and climb up twelve feet to create more school parking?
8 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I think its funny how all the “pro school” comments all have terrible grammar and spelling.
9 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Oh please, as if one person at the school knows everything that’s ever been said by anybody who works there.
More proof in addition to the bad spelling and grammar that the faculty at that school are mentally deficient.
Call the police on them. It is a crime to remove or move or alter a street sign. Let the police sort it out.
10 Anonymous // Apr 11, 2008 at 1:29 pm
DOT will be replacing the sign.