Street-sweeping rules lead drivers to block Bushwick street with their cars
Drivers on a five-block stretch of Jefferson Avenue in Bushwick often leave their cars in the middle of the street on alternate-side parking days to avoid getting tickets. It’s been this way since a bike lane was installed between Knickerbocker Avenue and Broadway in 2016, according to the New York Post.
Motorists can’t double-park during Tuesday and Friday morning street-sweeping hours because they’ll get summonses for blocking the bike lane. On a recent Tuesday, some cars remained on the street even after the 9-to-10:30 a.m. street-cleaning period, the Post reported. For unsuspecting motorists who are trying to drive down the avenue during the 90-minute period, it’s often chaos.
“A lot of time, people are honking their horns,” Kevin James, a security guard who lives on Jefferson Avenue, told the Post. “You got to tell them they got to go around. They think it’s heavy traffic, when actually it’s no traffic.” The street has only one lane. Another Jefferson Avenue resident, construction worker Benjamin Conde, called the situation an accident waiting to happen. “Cars can be tall, and kids can’t see over them,” he said.
