Dinowitz joins residents seeking to fix parking pickle

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is seeking to act on behalf of residents outraged at a parking sign they say is causing undeserved tickets.

The sign in question is behind the last in a row of spots on Independence Avenue near the intersection with West 237th Street. The sign states no parking during garbage collection, but residents say traffic enforcement agents recently began treating the spot as though it were forbidden during all hours. The spot is next to a lined no-parking zone.

“There is a conflict between the pavement markings and the posted sign,” Mr. Dinowitz stated in a Monday letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Constance Moran. “No person in his or her right mind would think there is a problem parking there, except maybe a predatory traffic agent who doesn’t have the intelligence to do the right thing.”

AnneMarie Melia, who lives near the disputed parking space, said she received a ticket for parking there on Oct. 25.

“The city should not be making that much money, and we don’t have enough spots around here,” Ms. Melia said.

Mr. Dinowitz asked Ms. Moran to have the sign moved so it clearly includes the disputed spot among permissible parking spaces.

DOT spokesman Nicholas Mosquera said in an e-mail the department has received the request and will inspect the location to make sure all parking signage is correctly located.

Ms. Melia said she regularly sees drivers shocked to find tickets for parking at the spot in question.

She said, “I hear plenty of people yelling. And I tell them, ‘fight it, fight it.’”

Law fights gravestone fraud

A bill sponsored by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz that requires gravestone merchants to clearly mark mail solicitations became law on Nov. 13. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation as part of a trio of bills aimed at improving consumer protections.