By Sam Schwartz
Dear Transit Sam,
I live at 2 Gold St., and it seems like it’s physically impossible to deliver to this building without getting a ticket. Every street around the building is either “No Stopping” or “No Standing.” How does the city expect someone to move into the building? It’s an unfair burden to residents to have to pay parking tickets for a moving company. I’m convinced traffic agents circle the block multiple times a day padding their ticket numbers. Can anyone review this policy and at least set up a delivery zone right in front, which would be the widest section of the street?
Michael, Gold St.
Dear Michael,
I’ve requested that the New York City Department of Transportation consider a “No Parking Anytime” sign outside your building in hopes of easing the enforcement (which the agency is currently reviewing so we’ll run an update in a future Transit Sam article). The other issue was the fact that just south of 2 Gold St. around the corner on Maiden Lane between Gold and Pearl Sts., there used to be a “No standing except trucks loading and unloading” zone, the designated delivery spot for your building. But, the city changed the regulation to “No standing anytime” because of construction, which made it more difficult to legally load or unload. After an inquiry by Transit Sam, the original “No standing except trucks loading and unloading” zone on Maiden Lane was recently restored. As for moving companies unloading for future tenants, they may request a special permit from N.Y.P.D.
Transit Sam
Dear Transit Sam,
Several members of my family use my car, which is why I leave the registration card in the vehicle. I thought I read in one of your columns that it was acceptable to have only a photocopy of the registration, and that the police would find that sufficient enough (in case we’re pulled over for whatever reason). Is this true?
John, Pearl St.
Dear John,
I think it’s most convenient to keep it inside the vehicle (I keep mine in the glove compartment) since rules and regulations, in this case vehicle registrations, vary from state to state. Case in point: Section 401 (4) of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws specifies that “a photostatic copy of the certificate of registration may be produced in lieu of the original certificate,” but New Jersey (under N.J. Statutes Title 39) requires an original registration certificate. So while a photocopy of the registration may be permissible under New York State law, you face a hefty fine in New Jersey if you can’t provide an original registration certificate if asked to do so.
Transit Sam
Sam Schwartz, a former first deputy commissioner of city transportation, is president and C.E.O. of Sam Schwartz Engineering, a traffic engineering consulting firm to private and public entities including the Port Authority at the World Trade Center site. Email your questions to TransitSam@DowntownExpress.com.
