Thurs., Jan. 14 – Wed., Jan. 20
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE SUSPENDED MONDAY FOR MLK DAY
Heads up, Lower Manhattanites: Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday is a Summons Alert Day!
While you may get lured into the 3-day relaxation and break from most schools and offices, remember: it is NOT a 3-day weekend for parking rules. Only alternate side parking rules are suspended on Monday. All other rules, including meters, are still in effect. The good news is that the holiday will make for lower overall traffic. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @GridlockSam for more tips to keep your holiday gridlock free.
A road closure in Upper Manhattan means more traffic on the West Side Highway. For 56 consecutive hours, 12 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday, the ramp from the George Washington Bridge to the Harlem River Drive will be closed. This means much more traffic on the Henry Hudson Parkway to the West Side Highway southbound especially leading to the Battery Tunnel.
In the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, one tube will close each weeknight 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. During the closure, two lanes of traffic will remain in the open tube. Expect slowdowns.
Slow-going on the Hudson River crossings Thursday night. In the Lincoln Tunnel, the New York-bound tube will close 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Thursday. This will force more drivers down to the Holland tunnel, where one New York-bound and one New Jersey-bound lane will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday nights. That means slowdowns back in New Jersey and again once drivers exit the tunnel near Canal St.
The HNA Group Relay Race 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday will close Church St. between Vesey and Murray Sts., and Murray St. between Church and West Sts.
Readers, be sure to make your year ahead great and gridlock free! The Gridlock Sam 2016 Parking Calendar is now available online as a free download and through the Gridlock Sam store as a professionally printed copy ($5 includes shipping and handling, $1 for each additional calendar). To access the download link, follow me on Twitter @GridlockSam. To order a printed copy, head to the website www.GridlockSam.com, or send a check for $5 to Gridlock Sam, 322 8th Ave., 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001.
From the mailbag:
Dear Transit Sam,
I caught a ticket on Dec 23rd & the officer signed the ticket with his initials, M L. That’s not a signature. Isn’t that an automatic dismissal?
Frank M., New York
Dear Frank,
You’re right – a missing signature should be an automatic dismissal, and initials do not qualify as a legal signature. You should contest the ticket. It’s likely the judge will dismiss it, and if not, you can request a hearing with the issuer in person to contest the signature.
Transit Sam
