Despite a woeful shortage of safe overnight parking spaces for truckers in the Big Apple, Mayor Eric Adams personally oversaw the towing of heavy-duty rigs in Queens.
“If you park vehicles illegally, you will get ticketed, towed or given the boot,” Mayor Adams reportedly said. “For far too long, large commercial vehicles have been parking illegally in the neighborhood, disrupting daily life and contributing to the noise, traffic and pollution. We cannot let our neighborhood streets turn into illegal parking lots. I want every New Yorker to know your city is looking out for you and your quality of life.”
A new enforcement measure went into effect on Aug. 23 that resulted in 597 citations, 89 wheel clamps, and 55 trucks getting towed during the first five days. Mayor Adams was featured on-site in news clips as a tow truck grabbed a semi. He also took the opportunity to make in-roads with middle-class Queens voters.
“This type of parking is not happening in affluent areas,” Mayor Adams reportedly said. “You are not going to go to affluent parts of the city and see these 18-wheelers parked out front and it goes without enforcement. This is a residential community they deserve the same level of quality of life that we give to other parts of the city.”
While it’s true that parking semis in residential neighborhoods is not allowed, New York City lacks enough legitimate spaces to accommodate tractor-trailers and large delivery vehicles. There are reportedly only two commercial truck parking lots available to weary truckers and those who face hours of service violations if they don’t get off the road. One lot is located at JFK Airport and the other is in Long Island City. Reports indicate these lots are long shots because both run at or near full capacity, typically leaving truckers on wait lists.
New York City officials have not put forward a plan to alleviate the truck parking shortage and the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure spending legislation failed to address the national problem. U.S. Reps. Mike Bost and Angie Craig introduced the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act more than a year ago. The bill would provide $755 million in competitive funding to increase legitimate truck parking spaces over four years. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act successfully cleared committee in July and lawmakers were hopeful it could receive a floor vote before year’s end.
Nearly 9 million New Yorkers receive upwards of 90 percent of all goods and materials via truck. An estimated 890,000 tons of freight is hauled in New York City every day, with that figure expected to swell by 74 percent by 2045. Truck-hauled materials include necessities such as food and medications.
Sources:
https://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/11320-deliver-illegal-commercial-truck-parking-neighborhoods
https://abc7ny.com/illegal-parking-commercial-vehicles-ticket-enforcement/12156779/#:~:text=ST.,up%20limited%20overnight%20parking%20spaces.
Mayor announces crackdown on illegally parked tractor-trailers in southeast Queens
That is one of the many reasons I never went to NYC. The Northeast region has a long history of neglecting trucker safety by providing adequate parking.
I hope Gov. Abbott sends more illegal immigrants to NYC. I know this has nothing to do with this story but the other option is to boycott NYC freight but that will never happen except on a personal level.