Did Hasids move a Parking Sign to “Squeeze Out” City Buses?

Last Updated on October 31, 2017 by Lawrence Berezin

The NY Post published an “exclusive” story on May 5, 2013, about Brooklyn Hasids relocating an NYC parking sign

I love all types of mystery storytelling. I adore investigators who solve mysteries, from the brilliant Sherlock Holmes to the bumbling Chief Inspector Clouseau of the French Surete. You can imagine my fascination when I stumbled upon a mystery story published in the NY Post detailing a Brooklyn parking sign caper.

The article quotes a furious MTA bus driver who claims he witnessed two Hasidic scofflaws install an NYC no parking sign on Franklin Avenue between Wallabout Street and Flushing Avenue to reduce the size of the bus stop zone. The bus stop squeeze play increased the curb space for a Yeshiva’s school buses to drop off and pick up students:

“There was no way I could park at the bus stop,” fumed Jamar Perry, who spied the sign heist on Franklin Avenue while driving the B48…”Two Jewish guys were moving the pole. I saw them resetting it. They had fresh cement and made it look professionally done.”

Can you imagine the sight of two Hasidim, in broad daylight, dressed in black coats with flowing payas, lugging an NYC parking sign pole with two parking signs attached, cement, and all the necessary tools to install this parking sign perfectly in the sidewalk?

Are the accusations leveled by the bus driver truthful?

You decide.

Here’s how Larry would prepare a defense for the two alleged perpetrators of the parking sign caper:

• Check out the alleged crime scene on Google Maps Street View
• Check out all the signage on the entire block (Franklin Street between Wallabout and Flushing) using the NYC DOT Parking Regulations Map
• Prepare exhibits
• Prepare defense certification
• Submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the NYC Department of Finance for details of the installation

Parking Sign Exhibits

Exhibit #1: This is a Google Map street overview of Franklin Avenue between Flushing Avenue and Wallabout Street. The brick building on the left-hand side of the image adjacent to the yellow school bus is the Yeshiva. This image was taken in 2011.

Exhibit #2:  This is a Google Map street view image of Franklin Avenue near the intersection of Flushing Avenue showing the bus stop sign and the No Parking Sign. This image was taken in 2011.

Exhibit #3: This is a screen grab of the NYC DOT Parking Regulation Map, that shows the location of every parking sign in NYC. This is a view of Franklin Avenue between Flushing Avenue and Wallabout Street showing the locations of four parking signs on the block (Wallabout Street is near the top of the image. The closest street running parallel and directly below Wallabout Street is Flushing Avenue. Franklin Avenue runs perpendicular between Wallabout Street and Flushing Avenue. The “darkened rectangle” abutting the parking signs represents the Yeshiva (near the corner of Franklin and Flushing).

Exhibit #4: This is a screen grab of the NYC DOT Parking Regulation Map showing the bus stop sign located near the intersection of Flushing Avenue.

Exhibit #5: This is a screen grab of the NYC DOT Parking Regulation Map showing a No Parking sign is the next parking sign from the Bus Stop sign in the direction of Wallabout Street.

Exhibit #6: This is a screen grab of the NYC DOT Parking Sign Locator showing that according to the Department of Transportation parking sign database, the No Parking sign is located 28 feet from the Bus Stop sign (173 feet minus 145 feet = 28 feet).

 Commentary

The evidence suggests that the NYC DOT, or a party authorized by the DOT, installed the Bus Stop sign and the No Parking sign. How else would the location of the No Parking sign, rules displayed on the sign, and distance from the curb be found in the official NYC DOT official database?

In addition:

• Bus stop zone: A bus stop zone extends from the bus stop sign in the direction of the arrow(s) at the bottom of the sign until the next parking sign, or if none, the end of the block
• The arrows on the bus stop sign on Franklin Avenue near the intersection of Flushing Avenue extended in both directions
• The No Parking sign was installed 27 feet from the Bus Stop sign in one direction
• The distance between the bus stop sign and the corner of Flushing Avenue and Franklin Avenue is 64 feet (in the other direction)
• Ergo, the approximate length of the bus stop zone is 91 feet long (extending from the bus stop sign to the corner in one direction and the bus stop sign to the No Parking sign in the other direction)
• The length of an average NYC bus is between 42-45 feet long

May 9, 2013-UPDATE:  It was pointed out by one of our readers that my math was faulty. The arrow on this particular bus stop sign extends in both directions. Therefore, the actual length of the bus stop zone extends from the bus stop sign to the corner of Flushing-Franklin (64 feet) and in the other direction until the No Parking sign (27 feet). Ergo, the bus stop zone is approximately 91 feet in length! Plenty of room to accommodate an average NYC bus.

I incorporated the proper corrections in the bullet points immediately above this update.

My special thanks to Anon for giving me a heads-up.

What do you think? Did the Hasids commit the parking sign caper? Or, is the bus driver’s eyewitness account less than candid? Please check out these interesting links,  “Brooklyn Hasis move no parking sign, squeezing out city bus stop,” and share your opinion.

I’d love your help in solving this mystery.

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