Meandering Through Parking Ticket Land in the Winter

Last Updated on February 20, 2018 by Lawrence Berezin

I came across some provocative tales in Parking Ticket Land

I love meandering through Parking Ticket Land to read stories about the latest news. This week was no different.

-I read about an NY State Senator who sparked a confrontation with a bicyclist while riding in a car

-I read a chilling statistic about the number of bicyclists killed by motorists in 2017

-I read about the staggering sum of money owed by North Korea for unpaid NYC parking tickets

-Is the NYPD giving out fewer tickets for handicapped-parking violations?

Let’s take ’em one at a time.

74-year-old NY State Senator has a  run-in with a bicyclist while pretending to be a cop

Here’s how the NY Times described the confrontation:

The confrontation began near the intersection of 15th Street and Third Avenue in Brooklyn when a car came up from behind as a cyclist, Brian Howald, was riding to a community board meeting in Sunset Park on Monday. Mr. Howald said a man stuck his head out of the passenger window and, waving a placard, told him to pull over.

The man said he was a police officer and threatened to take Mr. Howald into his precinct station house if he did not comply, Mr. Howald said.

Mr. Howald, 30, said he read about placard abuse as part of his advocacy, and he noticed that the passenger’s placard did not have the New York Police Department seal. He asked the passenger in which precinct he worked.

The man responded with a vulgarity, Mr. Howald recalled and then rolled up his window.

There followed, by Mr. Howald’s account, a string of events so ridiculous as to be almost comical.

[alert type=”info” icon-size=”hide-icon”]

The confrontation between the Senator Martin J. Golden and bike rider was particularly meaningful because:[/alert]

• Senator Golden struck and killed a 74-year-old pedestrian while operating his SUV in 2005. He was not charged
• The car collected 38 summons between 2013 and the present for various violations
• On just one day, Nov. 16, 2015, the vehicle was cited three times for speeding through a school zone.
• For years, Mr. Golden has opposed or worked to slow down efforts to expand the number of speed-safety cameras near schools
• Since 2013, 1,829 cyclists and pedestrians have been injured in traffic-related incidents in Mr. Golden’s Senate district, according to data compiled by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives. Fifty-six motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians have died

Cyclist Deaths Up 44 Percent as Mayor de Blasio Targets E-Bikes

Streetsblog published an informative article about the significant increase in fatal accidents between vehicles and bikes on  December 19, 2017. The article centers around a recent tragic accident involving a truck and bike that resulted in the death of a bicyclist.

A semi truck driver ran over and killed cyclist Hugo Ramirez in Maspeth yesterday, then left the scene.

Motorists have killed at least 26 people riding bikes in New York City this year, including three victims of the October West Side Greenway attack, according to crash data tracked by City Hall and Streetsblog. That’s a 44 percent increase from 2016 when City Hall reported 18 cyclist fatalities for the year. Even if you don’t count the victims of the greenway rampage, 23 cyclist deaths are more than any year since 2007.

North Korea Owes NYC $156,000 for Unpaid Parking Tickets

Are the NYPD issuing fewer handicap parking tickets?

Police are handing out 14 percent fewer tickets for handicapped-parking violations, NYPD statistics show, with 4,424 issued this year through Dec. 3 compared to 5,132 during the same period in 2016. NY Post, December 9, 2017, by Dean Balsamimi

Why?

Commentary

It’s time to end my meandering through Parking Ticket Land and get ready for 2018. Yikes, 2018!

2018 is a big year for me. I turn 70 years old. Or, as my adult children say, I’ll be older than dirt. Love ’em.

Park safely.

Larry