Greenpoint traffic
This post on Brownstoner today got me thinking about one of my pet peeves, Manhattan Avenue. Manhattan Ave. is a constant stream of traffic violations. People double-park with impunity. People park in bus stops. People do a three-point turn in the middle of the street to turn themselves around - in the middle of rush hour.
Commercial vehicles flaunt the rules just as much. I realize trucks need to park to unload but parking in the bus stop so the bus has to stop in the middle of the street is dangerous for passengers and blocks traffic in the other direction. As I commented on Brownstoner, our favorite offender is the armored car that picks up from the Dime Savings Bank at the corner of Manhattan and Calyer in the morning. It drives south down Manhattan Ave., and just before the bank, swerves into the northbound lane and parks (illegally) at the curb in the bus stop. This isn't a one-time occurrence, either.
If every meter maid in Greenpoint went up to Manhattan Ave. and ticketed the cars, vans, and trucks that parked illegally, double parked, parked in bus stops - all of which create actual, real traffic problems during rush hour - they'd have a bonanza. They'd also increase the quality of life in the neighborhood, which ticketing the poor guy who overslept and didn't get to move his car in time doesn't do.