Crosby Merchant,
Can you post the permit and license plate photos separate from the primary photos? In the add menu for 2nd and 3rd photos. They won't show up on the site, but they are used for FOIL requests and follow-up.

You have so many posts about Crosby Street, that I had to respond to them all, lest anyone out there misses our discussions under your post of “The hardiest commuters”, (which, by the way, has gotten a lot of responses since we have begun this discussion). As I’ve said elsewhere, you have very valid points with some respects (and I respect your opinion, unlike many of your fellow advocates I am not attacking anyone), but I think you raise some red herrings in others. I previously posted elsewhere:

“I think that in certain claims, your website has some valid objections, and some red herrings. This argument about this section of parking on Crosby street seems a bit disingenuous, at best. For example, the street depicted in this photo has the post from the user that says there is “No Parking” from “8am to 6pm”. So I suppose the question is this: If no one is allowed to park from 8 am to 6pm, how is this hurting you as residents or as business owners if a Court Officer, or Police Officer, or dog catcher parks there?
Of course I agree with the most important issue that your website has concerns over, namely safety issues like fire hydrants, cross walks, bike lanes and side walks. No one should park there for safety and emergency concerns. Also, I understand that on Baxter or Mulberry or similar streets, or anywhere there is metered parking, that this would be a problem for merchants, and I agree with that point. These civil servants should be more courteous on how they exercise the courtesies that they enjoy. What I disagree with is how someone with a parking plaque parking in an area where no one is supposed to park hurts anyone. It doesn’t take away a spot that we could park in, does it? Does it hurt a merchant? No. Does it hurt a resident? No. “

In response, you posted to me elsewhere:

“If you want to cry about the needs of the Court Officer, cry to the city to buy some real estate for a Court Officer parking lot, don't expect the abused neighborhood to tolerate this systematic and chronic problem. In this neighborhood these areas were once loading zones, and as the neighborhood has become more oriented around retail the needs for parking has only increased, and the needs for loading lessened. If we took the Court Officer's cars out of the equation, I believe that most traffic engineers and urban planners would say that this neighborhood needs some alternate side parking for residents,and mostly metered parking for Soho shoppers, along with loading zones. I think that this is what we will see in the end, because this will be better for residents, and better for businesses.”

I replied”

“I totally respect your opinion, and it would be nice if the city did buy parking for their employees like many cities do. But as I commented earlier I fully support the website‘s position with respect to safety issues, however, you posted that the sign says no parking from 8am to 6pm, so forgive me, but I don’t see how any vehicle with a parking plaque parking there affects your customers if they can’t park there during the hours in question. You are right that those “areas were once loading zones, and as the neighborhood has become more oriented around retail the needs for parking has only increased, and the needs for loading lessened”. It is a valid point.

But it is one of the red herrings that I mentioned because if these “plaques” as I’ll refer to them, were not parked in front of your store, then the space would be empty, it would not be filled with your customers, who are eager to purchase your wares.
Now if the signs were different, and were metered parking, then I would whole-heartedly endorse your position (see above) but as your customers can’t park there during those hours that you posted, I fail to see how your clientele is being affected, and how you are being affected.

More specifically, how are you being abused? How are your customers hurt? How is your bottom line affected? Your customers can’t park there after 8 am and before 6pm.

What if there were no metered parking on the street. What if it was alternate side parking? Do you think that the spaces in front of your store would be empty? Of course not. They would be MORE FILLED then they are now. Filled by you and your employees and by the people who live there, not by your customers (you can’t say to me that if you or your employees drove to work, and there was an non-metered spot in front of your store that you, or your employees would not be parked there ALL DAY. With no space for your customers. I seriously doubt you would force your employees to park in a garage. Oh, they would also be filled by the very court employees who park there now (if not more, like all the government employees at the municipal, state and federal who don‘t have plaques, as they get to work much earlier than most shoppers get up to go shopping. So, if the parking were “legal” it would be filled by you and yours, and by the very people who are there now plus a lot more.

Now, if there were metered parking, then perhaps that would improve the parking for your customers, which seems to be the thrust of your argument.

But I think that would be somewhat counter productive to the general argument of Transportation Alternatives, which seems to be advocating the opposite position that you are. They seem to want people to take public transportation (like I do) when they come into the city to work and shop, not drive into lower Manhattan during the weekday like you would suggest (I come to that conclusion because you want parking in front of your Crosby Street establishment from 8 am to 6pm - Mon. to Fri. [or, at least, your general complaints seem to be with court staff, and aside from criminal arraignments, court is closed nights and weekends]).

Wouldn’t the development you advocate (i.e. more shoppers driving in crowded lower Manhattan streets looking for parking to go shopping), be counter-productive to the very arguments advanced by this website?)

Again, just trying to narrow the issue a bit.

you guys are just a bunch of nothing else better to do guys than taking picture cars. stop worrying about what the civil servants are doing with their illegal parkings and start worrying about the war and other things. Whoever created this site needs to get a life. And for those who takes picture of cars, stop being a cry baby....

Also, this is not state police, it's a sheriff's placard.

My God don"t you people have something a bit more relevent or important to fight for? OK, parking a city vehicle on a hydrant or crosswalk certainly merits attention,no one is above the law in that respect,but attacking the law enforcement community for parking in spaces that are otherwise not open for the public is ridiculous and smells of.." If i can't do it...Neither can you!!" I suppose these supposed dogooders would feel a helluva lot different if they were in fact law enforcement and they needed a placard to park in a city where parking is as scarce as their common sense.

Thank you legalaid mike for your insightfull analysis on the parking placard issue.The law enforcement community salutes you.

Hey guys if you want some of the perks that cops,fdny,court officers,sheriffs,corrections officers receive,and really there aren't many.become a civil servant,step away from your PCs drop your cameras,patrol the streets ,risk your life daily and maybe you might have an opinion worth listening to.All we want to do is park our cars so we can go towork and go home.

After browsing this site and the comments for several days and reading the NY Times Metro section article on 3/22/2007 I am more upset than ever before. There has to be a better way to reduce car traffic in New York than "outing" parking plaques on civil servants cars. Especially vital services like police, fire, and court employees. What is even worse is that when we park legally we are taking spots away from you! You are cutting off your nose to spite your face!!!
HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT
That is Idiotic!!!!

I need to be able to park my car near my command. I don't block hydrants, crosswalks, or busstops, noone should. I do put the wheels on the sidewalk NOT close off the sidewalk. I may be there 8 hours on a normal day. I could be there 20 hours if I have an arrest a mobilization or a or unusual case.
I need to park the car near the command in a secure spot and do my job without worrying about the car. I can't take public transportation because of the service and route changes at 2 and 3 a.m. when I get off of work. Some bus lines are not even running. At that time in the morning it takes me 2 hours 10 minutes to get home but only 30 minutes by car.
Why don't you go after the MTA!!
On 9/11 all the busses and subways into Manhattan were shut down. How were the cops and firemen supposed to get to work then???
You guys have to think this through.
What is even worse is you censor the site!!! There is not a true debate you remove postings that argue for you to change or moderate your approach. It is a private site (hmmm...you are a not for profit) maybe you can do what you want with it, but you are not fair!

Is there something else behind this? This is animus, What are you really angry about??? Let's talk this out.

You need to be carefull about what you are starting here. There are a whole lot of laws on the books we don't enforce due to tradition and because social norms have changed. What if we handcuffed everyone for smoking a joint or not cleaning up after their dog, and put them through the system, instead of giving summonses. Do you really want to turn all of New York City into a Total Enforcement Zone? If you do I know where to start....West 26th.

Doesn't the sheriff tow for parking violations?

Sheriff tows for outstanding fines... not for parking violations

Regeardless, it should be moved to the sheriff's, not the state police.