Some Queens residents are fuming over the significant loss of parking in their neighborhood. NY1’s Ruschell Boone filed the following report.
The parking situation at Queens Borough Hall has gone from bad to worse since the city closed the parking garage a few months ago.
“It's ridiculous. There's no space around here,” said a Queens resident.
Are you here for a special occasion?
“Yeah we are getting married,” she said.
After circling the block for nearly an hour, the couple worried they were going to miss their wedding.
Parking in the area in Kew Gardens has never been easy, but it has become nearly impossible as people jockey for the few legal spaces on Queens Boulevard, which is also near criminal court. Some drivers double and even triple park during busy hours.
“That's what we have to do to wait for somebody at least. They kick us out and we just have to get out of here sometimes. It's you know it's crazy,” said another Queens resident.
The city said it shuttered the garage after the structure became unsafe. Many local residents are outraged because drivers are now parking on their street.
“Everybody have a complaint with this,” said a third Queens resident.
The Department of Transportation says it is addressing the issue. In a statement to NY1, the agency said it has created 40 new angle parking spaces and extended the parking time for dozens of metered spots. DOT has also expedited the demolition process for the garage. The agency didn't say how many spaces were in that structure, but residents say the amount of new spaces is nowhere near what they lost at the garage.
DOT says a new parking lot be built in its place. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.
Until then, drivers will have to keep circling the block, and waiting, to park.