Crackdown aims to teach a lesson to double-parking P.S. 81 parents

On March 17, Pamela Kelly double-parked her car in front of the Robert J. Christen School (P.S. 81) at around 2:18 p.m. and jumped out to pick up her daughters, like many of the school’s parents do at dismissal time each day.

When she returned to her car at 2:23 p.m., there was a $115 ticket on her windshield. 

“He saw me running back [to the car],” Ms. Kelly said of the traffic officer who gave her the ticket. “It just felt like it was this targeted effort — going after people in the community who send their kids to public schools.” 

Like Ms. Kelly, many parents at the school say the recent ticketing spree feels like a way to drain money from parents who have few parking options in the area. 

“[The officers] come at 2:20 p.m., and that’s conveniently the time that the students dismiss,” said Martha Valenzuela, whose son is a first-grade student at P.S. 81. 

That day, March 27, she had parked her car a few blocks away from the school, to avoid the $115 fine. But as she stood on the sidewalk waiting for her son’s class to dismiss, she and fellow parent Nydia Vasquez, whose son is also in first grade, both lamented the situation. 

“That feels like a trap for the parents,” said Ms. Vasquez. “I think it’s just inconsiderate to the community as a whole.”

“[The officers] park right behind the lane [of double-parked cars] — should we give them tickets?” Ms. Valenzuela asked. 

After receiving a number of complaints about the tickets, Principal Anne Kirrane sent out an e-mail to the parents — some of whom accused the administration of calling for a crackdown on double-parking outside the school. 

“Please be aware that neither I nor any of my staff members requested that tickets be issued,” Ms. Kirrane wrote. “I understand that this is causing an inconvenience, as well as a financial hardship to our families, but it is beyond my control. Had I been made aware that tickets would be issued in front of the school I would have informed the school community in advance.”