Illegally Parked Big Rigs Menacing Flatlands Streets

Parking is hard enough as it is in Brooklyn these days, and that’s when everyone obeys the rules of the road. When people don’t follow the laws, driving and parking become increasingly difficult.

The good people of the Flatlands neighborhood are dealing with parking issues because of large 18-wheeler trucks that park overnight on main roads like Ralph Avenue, Remsen Avenue, and Avenue U, according to Community Board 18 district manager Dorothy Turano.

“Commercial vehicles are not allowed to park on city streets in excess of three hours,” said Turano. “Habitual parking occurs on Ralph Avenue, Remsen Avenue, Avenue U to name a few streets.”

At the community board meeting last week, an officer from the 63rd Precinct addressed the issue and said that the precinct has been and will continue to conduct towing operations each month to make the truck drivers more hesitant to park illegally.

According to Turano, the truck owners let the tickets pile up and pay them all at once, like a regular business expense.

Right now, the summonses that are issued to the trucks are cheaper than what it would cost the drivers to park the trucks legally, according to Turano, so the two options that the precinct and the community board are exercising are towing the trucks, and putting boots on the wheels to render the trucks undrivable.

However, the precinct’s access to the large-sized boots and heavy-duty tow trucks are limited, making it difficult to enforce the lawbreakers en masse.

If the truck is filled with heavy items, the tow trucks usually can’t haul it away, according to police.

“The 63 Precinct has conducted five overnight commercial parking operations since December of last year. Ralph Avenue is a commercial area with stores and businesses,” said a DCPI officer in an email. “In all, 16 Large trucks  and two passenger buses have been towed. Members of the Parking Enforcement Division have issued over 120 parking violations in the63rd Precinct since January.”

At the community board meeting last week, Turano explained that they have sent requests in to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and other powers that be for larger boots to put on truck wheels, and larger tow trucks that can pull the big rigs.

The DOT defines a commercial vehicle as any vehicle that bears commercial plates, is permanently altered to make space in order to transport property and large items, or bears the name of the person or company that the vehicle is registered to on the side.