If you’re headed to jury duty at the Queens courthouse or a meeting at Borough Hall, you better set aside some extra time to find parking. Despite widespread appeals from elected officials to keep the municipal garage open, the city DOT shuttered the lot last week because the structure was found to be a safety hazard.
The decision to close the garage appeared to have been made quite quickly, leaving lawmakers to ask why they had not been notified months earlier when several city agencies concluded that the lot had to be demolished.
With nearly 500 parking spots now history behind the bustling government complex, jurors, court personnel and members of the borough president’s office have been forced to find other alternatives. The city made no provisions to establish another area for the displaced motorists, but did assign more traffic enforcement agents to the scene. The city has suspended alternative side street parking nearby.
The lawmakers had pressed for a partial shutdown of the garage as work proceeded to repair split concrete, a broken elevator and impassible tower stairs, among many structural problems.
The garage was clearly a disaster waiting to happen, but parking spots are at such a premium in the borough, the city might have been better off taking the riskier route by keeping some parts open. The aggravation that motorists face trying to find a spot for their cars before going to court might also take a toll on their mental well-being.
Added to the inconvenience factor is the peril of crossing Queens Boulevard, the so-called Boulevard of Death, for those who have been shut out of their customary parking garage.
City Councilman Karen Koslowitz’s office said the DOT planned to build a 300-slot parking lot in place of the 1963 era garage. But how long will that take?
In the meantime, the city Department of Transportation and the mayor should come up with an interim parking plan so that the public can do its civic duty by going to court or visiting officials at Borough Hall without incurring a ticket or having to drive around for an hour trying to snag a spot.
The DOT ought to be able to work out a deal where motorists can park in large numbers and then run shuttle bus service to the courthouse and Borough Hall.
This is not entertainment time nor is it Manhattan, where public transportation is king. The DOT should know by now that parking is an obsession in Queens, where every spot counts.
