NYC DOT: "It Is Not Legal For Anyone To Block A Crosswalk..."

After publishing photographs showing vehicles with official parking placards blocking access to crosswalks and curb cuts on Centre Street in downtown Manhattan, NYC The Blog queried the New York City DOT via Twitter on the legality of such parking. They promptly responded: "...it is not legal for anyone to block a crosswalk with or without a placard."

Previously: » Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. 

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

East River Promenade Gets Stairs To Nowhere

Work continues on the East River promenade down by the Seaport, as a set of stairs leading to nowhere are revealed near Pier 11. To be fair, just like an unfinished painting, this will all start to make sense as more work is completed; these stairs are likely “get-downs," or access point to get close to the river. Work on the East River Park,  in the area north of the Manhattan Bridge, has been moving along as well. The Tribeca Trib reported the area might be open to the public by January 2011.

Previously:
The Color Purple Comes To FRD Drive: Repainting Extends Northward
Brooklyn Residents Enjoy A Rare Public Access Beach On The East River
La Plaza Cultural To Parents: Please Curb Your Children 
Downtown Manhattan's Collect Pond Park Overrun With Rats (VIDEO) 

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

Manhattan District Attorney's Office Would Like Fire Free Flowers

Smokers visiting the the Manhattan District Attorney's office in downtown Manhattan carelessly toss their lit cigarettes into flower beds near the entrance. The DAs office would like to keep their flower beds fire free and have posted a sign stating as such. "The flowers," the sign informs, "prefer not being lit on fire." It seems like a reasonable goal. Click through the photo for larger version.


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

While Good Times Roll For Many In Manhattan, Hundreds Gather Every Night In Downtown Parking Lot For Free Food

Hundreds of people wait online every night in a rat infested parking lot next door to our halls of justice in downtown Manhattan for a meal consisting of a bowl of soup, piece of bread, carton of milk and an orange. The food is delivered by Coalition for the Homeless, and arrives every evening in white van around 8:30pm. The majority of those served are the elderly and women and children.

Downtown Manhattan's Collect Pond Park Overrun With Rats (VIDEO)

Rats have completely overrun Collect Pond Park (map) a public park the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center has conceded is "part dilapidated plaza, part Department of Transportation parking lot."

Passing through the park last night across from the Criminal Courthouse in downtown Manhattan, an NYPD officer expressed resigned anger at the rats overrunning the park. "Look at that thing," he exclaimed, pointing and shaking his head in disgust, "it's as big as a cat!"

Collect Pond Park is effectively a rat zoo now. Watch the video below.