Parking problems persist outside Harlem police station
NEW YORK - A persistent problem with illegal parking has plagued Harlem neighbors for years, and they say police are the main culprits.
Outside Police Service Area 6 headquarters and outward along Frederick Douglass Boulevard, cars crowd crosswalks and bus stops. Four intersections from West 146th Street to West 149th Street are frequently filled with parked cars.
"It's a safety issue, first and foremost," said neighbor Ben Baer. "We have kids, we have seniors, we have people with mobility issues that need to be able to cross the street, and drivers need to be able to see them."
A utility truck could be seen taking up space in a crosswalk right outside the police station's front door.
"If they're in a wheelchair, they gotta go around," said one man navigating the curb with a cane. "It's very bad, very bad, and I hope it gets better."
Neighbors like Baer have complained and seen sporadic quick fixes. Barricades once used to block the bus lane across the street from the station can now be seen laying against a tree, with cars taking their place all the way to the corner.
"We understand there needs to be parking for our officers to do the work they need to do," said Baer, "but that shouldn't extend to parking in ways that they wouldn't park in their own communities, much less in our community."
The station does have its own parking lot behind it, but there simply are not enough spaces for everyone. Staff serve 18 NYCHA developments across Harlem, coordinating community resources and crime prevention, but Baer says they are not policing their own, and this trend encourages others to try to blend in with the crowd.
"They know the traffic department is not going to come by here and ticket them," Baer said. "We can call 311 all we want, but unfortunately it's going to require everybody's help to really get a solution to this."
A police spokesperson acknowledged the problem, saying in a statement:
"We listen to our communities and we know that parking around our precincts is a persistent concern. It is difficult due to the number of persons and units who work at Police Service Area 6 and the limited amount of parking available. In terms of vehicles that are seized and stored at the precinct, if we are able to operate the vehicle, we will drive the vehicle to an appropriate storage location. We recognize that this is a challenge and remain committed to addressing these community concerns.
"Additionally, vehicles are not permitted to park in bus stops or cross walks. The Commanding Officer of Police Service Area 6 is working to ensure that these lanes remains open and clear."
Neighbors hope change happens before tragedy does.
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