Dear Transit Sam,
The grass is greening and the daffodils and spring flowering trees are blooming in Canal Park at West Street – a pretty picture. The surrounding Canal Street roadbed, on the other hand, is a deteriorating mess of potholes, eroded asphalt, salt residue and unhealthy particulate matter. Clouds of toxic dust rise up, choking pedestrians and residents as huge semi trucks jerk and jolt over the cavities and cracks. The noise is deafening. Pavement markings and lane delineations so carefully laid out at the heavily traveled intersections when the park was built are now obliterated. Help! Numerous calls have been made to the city to no avail. What can be done?
Richard Barrett, Canal West Coalition
Dear Richard,
You’re right. The roadway is a mess. I found out that Canal St. from West to Varick Sts. will be resurfaced sometime in the fall. I’ve asked the city to see if there’s anyway they can move up their timeline and resurface the street as soon as possible. I’ve also asked them in the interim to look at filling the potholes and smoothing out the roadway with fresh lane lines and crosswalks. Thanks for writing me.
Transit Sam
Dear Transit Sam,
I read your response to Alexander in the May 7-13 issue and need some clarification. You state, “New York City has a very good Special Parking Identification (SPI) program and allows placard holders to park in all No Parking zones, truck loading zones, designated agency parking areas, and all meters without payment.” But the NYC DOT website states, “The permit allows the driver to park in spaces marked by the International Symbol of Access as long as the permit holder is traveling in the car. In NYC, these spaces are all off-street such as in parking lots for shopping centers/malls, office/apartment buildings, and college campuses and is not valid on NYC streets.” I just received my new placard last week and I am now more confused than ever as to where I can legally park. Any clarification you can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Eric, River Terrace
Dear Eric,
I can clear up the confusion. What you’re talking about is the New York State Disability Permit. I was talking about the New York City Special Parking Identification Permit/Placard. They’re two different permits. Your permit is for off street parking only. The permit I was talking about two weeks ago is valid at most curbsides on city streets described above. If you think you’re entitled to the City Permit, then you should visit https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/permits/nyc-pppd.shtml to fill out an application. Hope this helps.
Transit Sam
Navigate around Lower Manhattan by writing Transit Sam! Send me your traffic and transit concerns via e-mail to TransitSam@downtownexpress.com or write to Transit Sam, c/o SSE, 611 Broadway, Suite 415, NY, NY, 10012.
