Photo: QueensPost
March 8, 2013 By Christian Murray
The owner of a Queens Blvd electric bike store—which sells and repairs scooters and battery powered bicycles– is likely to be hearing from two New York City agencies soon.
E-Bike, which opened at 41-25 Queens Blvd a year ago, appears to be breaking city code by repairing broken down bikes on the sidewalk outside its store, according to officials. Furthermore, it is most likely violating city rules by parking a multitude of scooters on the sidewalk in front of its store and the vacant store next door.
Community Board 2 chairman Joseph Conley said that he has reached out to the Department of Sanitation and the Department of Consumer Affairs to investigate the matter.
“It’s a hazard,” Conley said. “The owner’s doing repairs on the sidewalk and oil and contaminants are going everywhere,” he said. Furthermore, the bikes on the sidewalk are “an obstacle” for pedestrians, he said. “These are clear violations.”
Conley said the Department of Sanitation has jurisdiction over the oil that is leaking everywhere and it has the ability to seize any unregistered vehicles left by the store. The Department of Consumer Affairs has the ability to ticket businesses for illegally using the sidewalk to conduct business.
The owner of E-Bike said he is not doing anything wrong. In fact, he said he is doing the community a favor.
He said he puts his bikes outside the vacant store to stop a homeless man from spending his day there. He said there is a man who stands there and spits all day, while asking for change.
