UPDATED: Vehicles Of State And City Officials Block Handicap Access To Sidewalks; Is This Legal?

UPDATE: The New York City DOT responds via Twitter: "@nyctheblog No, it is not legal for anyone to block a crosswalk with or without a placard."

As per normal on this stretch of Centre Street, multiple cars have blocked access to the crosswalks and curb cuts in front of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, depriving the handicap and frail the option of moving onto or off a sidewalk without difficulty or assistance. Two vehicles had official placards on their dashboard (see top right). One vehicle belonged to an NYPD employee, the other to an employee of the New York State Judicial system. Do these placards give the vehicles a right to park illegally like this? Even assuming so, their choice of parking arrangements seemed particularly inconsiderate and unnecessary considering the public parking lot only a couple of feet away that had an abundance of empty spots as illustrated in the photo below.


Previously:
While Good Times Roll For Many In Manhattan, Hundreds Gather Every Night In Downtown Parking Lot For Free Food
Downtown Manhattan's Collect Pond Park Overrun With Rats (VIDEO)
Visiting Manhattan Night Court At 100 Center St.

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credits: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Visiting Manhattan Night Court At 100 Center St. Part I

NYC The Blog finds that NYPD policy targets homeless people for fare evasion on the M35 bus as it runs from Wards Island Men Shelter to 125th St. Classist public policy, or effective crime prevention?

One man present at Night Court yesterday evening had been charged with fare beating on the m35 that morning, and did not want to give his name. He claimed that he and five others here in court were picked up that morning after boarding the bus at approximately 6:30am on their way to an outpatient facility in Harlem. They are homeless, living in the shelter, and the bus is their connection to job interviews, mental health facilities, friends and family. None of them had money for the fare, and snuck on the bus from the back door. When the bus approached 125th st, maybe at 123rd he said, it pulled over; police were waiting with vans. Multiple homeless residents were arrested for fare beating, and were now at Night Court facing charges.