After a successful two weeks of increased police enforcement within the confines of the 75th, 83rd and 104th precincts, NYPD has added a permanent tow truck to remove illegally parked cars in the area.
The NYPD Transportation Bureau will tow vehicles parked on crosswalks, sidewalks, in front of hydrants and in other places that could potentially create a hazard. This action was taken after Queens Councilman Robert Holden requested an increased police presence in the district to curb traffic and parking violations.
The two-week operation started in Holden’s district in March, after the council member noticed a lack of enforcement in relation to traffic and parking. He called on the NYPD Joint Visibility Corridor Enforcement Initiative, which was founded in 2019, to drive down collisions in the city. The tow truck operation provides a highly visible police presence along collision-prone corridors throughout the city and analyzes the impact of the initiative thereafter.
After the two-week period of increased enforcement, NYPD issued 7,264 parking violations and 1,428 moving violations, towed 218 vehicles and made six arrests relating to vehicle and traffic laws.
“This isn’t a matter of revenue, but a serious matter of safety,” Holden said. “We receive constant complaints about illegally parked vehicles blocking driveways, hydrants, and crosswalks and causing problems. This tow truck dedicated to my district will help.”
The tow truck will operate Monday through Friday. Holden said that constituents should still report parking violations to 311 and share any areas of concern with his office.
The enforcement efforts focused on areas along Cypress, Metropolitan and Pennsylvania Avenues in the confines of the 75th, 83rd and 104th precincts. Holden said that he urged the NYPD Transportation Bureau to take action after his district has experienced horrific accidents one after the other.
“There’s a lack of respect for human life,” Holden said. “I think [the Department of Transportation] bears some responsibility — they need to make our corners safer. Most of the people who have been killed in my district have been hit in a crosswalk. The more you see these videos and hear of lives lost, the more passionate I get about doing something.”
In early February, a 57-year-old man was struck by two cars within seconds of crossing the intersection at Cooper and Cypress Avenues.
Another accident took place in Glendale, where two teens were injured after their scooter collided with a car on Cooper Avenue in late February. One teen died a month later.
Residents have called on DOT and local electeds to make their streets safer. Most recently, over 200 residents rallied at the intersection of Stanhope Street and Fairview Avenue to demand pedestrian signals and a crosswalk.
