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I love it, expecially the plow suggestion I am not sure if i can tow, will look into that. Right, a nice apology would go a long way, i would circle around and probably not think about it twice. But a rant back is just not very nice.
In the city, you can get it towed, but the car has to be ticketed first. Once ticketed, you can then get a marshal to tow, as they are the only approved tow services who can do such, and the marshal will impound the vehicle with notification to the police.
The tricky thing is once you have the police or NYPD traffic in the habit of ticketing, they may ticket your car for blocking the driveway. It's best to put a large sign on the dashboard stating that the owner lives at the address, and that this is your vehicle. As long as the curb cut is in a regular parking zone, you should not have a problem, so long as you make it clear that the car parked there is yours, once they are in the habit of ticketing that spot. Absolutely do not rely on the traffic agent matching the registered address with the car, spell it out to avoid problems.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
happened to me once. The snow covered the cut curb & someone parked in front of my driveway. The car owner apologized & all was forgiven
That's understandable given the circumstances.
Like I said, in many jurisdictions, no one can block you from entering your property. A tow driver would have you sign a document that the car is on or blocking your property and off it goes. They notify the local police in case the owner reports it stolen.
I think a reputable tow service can probably answer that question for NYC.
A vehicle can be ticketed for blocking a driveway but cannot be towed unless there is signage indicating "....will be towed at owner's expense....." or some such. Hence the reasons you see such signs in front of or near driveways.
Huge building next door to us has a very obvious driveway but that has not stopped persons from parking/blocking. As you can imagine this causes all sorts of problems for those seeking to get in and out with resulting horn blowing going on for hours. NYPD/traffic enforcement will come if summoned but told the building's owner that they will ticket but cannot tow because there is no signage. For some reason in response all the building did was paint the curb along driveway bright yellow, but that no sign.
Now many private brownstone/townhouse properties in Manhattan *do* have such signage and will waste no time in having anything towed that is blocking their driveway.
As for blocking driveways in general and using cones, it is *VERY* common all over Staten Island for persons to *reserve* parking in front of their homes and or keep their driveways open by using cones, trash cans, or whatever. Especially after a snow storm and someone has shoveled out the space in front of their home.
Driveway one can understand, but no one *owns* the property in front of their house, thus has no right to block off anything. Still have seen some *VERY* nasty fights and autos damaged because someone moved those things and parked.
The other common thing at least in Manhattan you'll see doormen or building porters go out with cones to "reserve" a spot in front of the building for a resident. Very common on the UES especially along Fifth Avenue when parking restrictions expire around 7PM. Mr. and or Mrs. One Percent obviously tip well enough for this service because have seen building staff strongly prevent someone from parking in such a "reserved" space.
Many apartment buildings with door staff (again at least in Manhattan) will put cones or otherwise block off at least the area in front of their door. This so residents and guests can get out of taxis or cars and have unimpeded access. That or they used those "please do not block our entrance" signs.
In NYC if someone is blocking your driveway you call NYPD and they will then put a summons on the car. You then call a tow company (not the marshals) and they will tow the car. The only car that can block your driveway is a car which is registered to that address. They will run the plate to make sure that its not a resident and the summons goes on the car.
The only car that can block your driveway is a car which is registered to that address. They will run the plate to make sure that its not a resident and the summons goes on the car.
I see owners doing that all the time, but have always wondered if that was legal. By parking in front of their curb cut they essentially have double reserved parking at the public's expense
In NYC if someone is blocking your driveway you call NYPD and they will then put a summons on the car. You then call a tow company (not the marshals) and they will tow the car. The only car that can block your driveway is a car which is registered to that address. They will run the plate to make sure that its not a resident and the summons goes on the car.
No, the City will *NOT* tow a vehicle blocking a private driveway under normal circumstances.
Yes, you can have NYPD issue a summons but if you want the thing towed the property owner must contact a *PRIVATE* towing service to shift. Some tow trucks operators don't care what they move and or operate on the very fringes of the law, others are more careful.
"The New York Police Department tows vehicles that are in violation of NYC parking, standing, and stopping laws and restrains vehicles with outstanding parking and camera violation judgments. The NYC Sheriff's Office and NYC Marshals employed by the City of New York tow vehicles whose owners have outstanding parking and red light camera judgments totaling more than $350. Visit the Department of Finance Web site for more information about towed vehicles"
In NYC if someone is blocking your driveway you call NYPD and they will then put a summons on the car. You then call a tow company (not the marshals) and they will tow the car. The only car that can block your driveway is a car which is registered to that address. They will run the plate to make sure that its not a resident and the summons goes on the car.
It was a private tow that I used, now that I think about it; however, the sign used to have the name of the tow company and Marshal Redemption Lot under that on the sign. I have not driven down that street recently to look for the sign, so it may have been changed. Although, one time, I do believe someone towed from my aunt's property because someone blocked the driveway while she was out of the country and I did not get to Riverdale for a couple of hours as the contractor called me mid-meeting in Midtown. That car may have had too many tickets, so it could have been towed, especially if there was a connection with the marshal via the tow company. The NYPD would ticket when the contractor flagged them down, but the tow company would not do anything until I got there as the contractor was not tied to the address. A licensed tow operator will remove the vehicle from the driveway.
Blocking a spot is illegal, even your own driveway. I'm not saying that it is not done in certain areas, and overlooked, but a doorman co-op on the UES is less likely to have an issue than a residential property, since there is someone to remove the obstruction if so required, and it may not be as easy to prove the person who left the obstruction on the street.
Doesn't ConEd have a contract with an agency to have parking spotters stand with cones to monitor sites so the trucks can park? I seem to recall that being the case.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
It was a private tow that I used, now that I think about it; however, the sign used to have the name of the tow company and Marshal Redemption Lot under that on the sign. I have not driven down that street recently to look for the sign, so it may have been changed. Although, one time, I do believe someone towed from my aunt's property because someone blocked the driveway while she was out of the country and I did not get to Riverdale for a couple of hours as the contractor called me mid-meeting in Midtown. That car may have had too many tickets, so it could have been towed, especially if there was a connection with the marshal via the tow company. The NYPD would ticket when the contractor flagged them down, but the tow company would not do anything until I got there as the contractor was not tied to the address. A licensed tow operator will remove the vehicle from the driveway.
Blocking a spot is illegal, even your own driveway. I'm not saying that it is not done in certain areas, and overlooked, but a doorman co-op on the UES is less likely to have an issue than a residential property, since there is someone to remove the obstruction if so required, and it may not be as easy to prove the person who left the obstruction on the street.
Doesn't ConEd have a contract with an agency to have parking spotters stand with cones to monitor sites so the trucks can park? I seem to recall that being the case.
Yes, Con Ed does have contract "spotters" to watch blocked off (cones or what not) areas.
Our part of the UES has seen lots of block by block activity by Con Ed as they are laying new gas mains from Fifth to York Avenues. Usually around the time alternate side expires and or later in the day Con Ed "spotters" will arrive on a block and begin putting up "no parking/tow away" signs on trees and lamp posts. Then spotters will start placing cones as spots empty out during the day and night. For really long projects AS parking signs are temporarily changed to "No Parking Anytime" then there isn't a need for spotters. Anyone that parks is subject to being ticketed and or towed by the City.
Film crews and fashion shoots also use spotters (Law and Order was filming on the UES a few weeks ago for about a week).
Thing is these entities have legal authority to block off street parking. Private persons or anyone else lacking such permission do not which is where problems start. We have several persons on our block that own both motor cycles and autos. They use the former to "block off" parking spaces on the street. That is if the SUV is being used the MC is parked in such a way to hold a spot large enough for one or two cars to park. When the owners come back they swap out the SUVs and either move the MC to another spot (to save again another parking space), or whatever.
Sometimes this works, others it does not. Have seen drivers of compact/subcompact cars ease themselves in front or behind the MC to park. Other times drivers or their passengers have gotten out and moved the MC a few feet so they can park in the space.
You cannot park in front of your driveway, it is NOT a way to create reserved street parking only for you.
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I am not sure if i can tow, will look into that. Right, a nice apology would go a long way, i would circle around and probably not think about it twice. But a rant back is just not very nice.
