Give Free-Parking Buses the Boot

OP ED

The out-of-state buses are clogging up the streets downtown and creating hazards for neighborhood residents and businesses

By Charles Eshelman

Tribeca Why do out of state chartered tour buses have parking violation immunity? Why do out of state chartered tour buses have free parking?

Everyday you can find them violating posted parking signs that go unnoticed by both the 1st and 5th Precincts' Traffic Enforcement officers.

They are seen violating No Standing Anytime, No Parking Anytime, No Bus Layover zone, Double Parking, idling, parked blocking fire hydrants, parked in MTA bus stop, not paying parking meters, parking on sidewalks, no NYC permit, no NYS permit, etc.

These illegally parked buses block pedestrians' views of approaching traffic, creating a very dangerous situation. They clog streets, preventing NYPD, FDNY and ambulances during emergencies. They block the MTA buses' view of potential riders for pick-up, forcing riders to run out into street waving arms to signal a bus. They block city businesses and residents from conducting timely business. Add it all up - tearing up streets, air pollution, noise pollution, blocking daily commerce, destroying residents' quality of life. I'll bet the NYPD ticket agent machine has no bus category for issuing violations.

These 45-foot-long, 30-ton interstate buses are too big to be racing around the tiny side streets of SoHo, Tribeca and Chinatown. They not only tear up the streets, they are too long to navigate turns and drive over curbs and onto the antique New York blue stone and granite hollow sidewalks, cracking them and breaking the waterproof seals.

I have brought this issue to the attention of Community Board 1, Council Member Margaret Chin, NYDOT and NYPD and the problem just keeps growing.