No Standing Signs Go Into Effect, Cabbies Shrug

No Standing signs were installed this week along Sheepshead Bay Road, following an effort from local politicians to clear the streets of livery cab chaos.

As you can see in the photo above, the signs make exception for trucks making deliveries. It also allows cars to be there between midnight and 8:00 a.m., clearing the way for drunkards and late-night workers to get home when local bus service is less-than-stellar.

Still, no one cares. Or rather, cabbies don’t care. On a Wednesday walk-by at 11:00 a.m., car service vehicles lined the entire length of the new “No Standing” area, which stretches from East 16th Street to East 14th Street.

We asked one driver why he was there if the signs made it unquestionably illegal. The streets, he said, are clear and quiet and that the cabs are being respectful. If police or delivery trucks arrive, he said, they move out of the way. He admitted that problems sometimes occur – such as the NYPD car last week that was forced to park in the middle of the road, causing backups for almost half an hour – but that was other drivers, he said. He always moves.

What do you think: is this a step in the right direction that simply needs enforcement? Or just another meaningless gesture to improve quality of life that will go nowhere?