The Manhattan Times

No obvious answer for livery cabs taking up street parking

by Daniel P. Bader

The officer’s voice, in Spanish, crackled over the megaphone mounted on top of the police car – a warning to the collection of livery cabs and their drivers to leave the street or be fined. The four cars parked on W. 187th Street between Ft. Washington and Pinehurst Avenues were quickly gone, and the police cruiser drove away.

Minutes later some returned, and the others were replaced by different cars.

Driver Edwin Godinez of Highbridge Car Service was one of the ones who had returned. He had fed the meter by his car, but left anyway, knowing that the cops would give him a fine anyway.

He’s tried arguing with them in the past.

“Aqui no dice ‘no standing’ [There’s no sign here that says ‘no standing’]” he said.

Another Highbridge driver, Victor Peralta, said he’s been parking on that street for 20 years.

It’s where all the customers are.

Ted Zirnite moved to the street in August of 2001 from what he described as a noisy Nagle Avenue.

“When I first came in it was suburban quiet – drop of a pin quiet,” he said.

An artist, his second floor apartment-studio overlooks W. 187th Street. In his personal struggle with the noise on the street, he describes a slowly deteriorating atmosphere, one that has worn thin on two fronts.

When parked, the drivers hang out and are loud. When they can’t get a spot, or are passing through they pull up and shout to each other from their seats. Chatting while double parked, delivery trucks and other cars beep at them. A lot of the time it’s early in the morning or at night.

“I’m not one of these cane waving old hags,” Zirnite said. “I’ve tried many approaches.”

At first, he said he politely asked drivers to be quiet, but admitted he got increasingly more gruff. One driver chased him back into his building after they got into an argument.

Then he tried the official route. He went to Council Member Robert Jackson’s office, Hudson Heights Owners Coalition, Community Board 12 and the Taxi and Limousine Commission all with varying success.

Last spring the CB12 Traffic and Transportation Committee submitted a resolution to the full board which requested stricter enforcement of the parking regulations where livery cabs congregate, but the resolution was not supported, in part because State Assembly Member Herman “Denny” Farrell was organizing a meeting about this particular issue.

The TLC did send undercover police to W. 187th Street. Cars that accepted rides solicited off the street, which they are prohibited from doing, were fined. Tickets were handed out for blocking hydrants and other traffic violations.

Zirnite said he was thrilled, but in a day or two later the cars were back.

“There’s just so Godd—n many of them.”

Peralta and Godinez said they are aware there are a few bored shop owners and nasty residents who don’t like them on the street, but they figure it’s a minority of the residents. A dirty look here, and a comment under the breath in English there they chalk up to racism or a few crazies.

“Son gente sin trabajo que no mas molestar los que trabaja [They’re people without work that do nothing but bother people who are trying to do their jobs],” Peralta said.

“They take [parking spots] but they don’t take in the middle,” said Vicky Limberis owner of Vicky’s Restaurant on the northern side of the street. Drivers come in and buy something so they can use the bathroom, but few stay and eat, she said. She does a lot of her shopping for the restaurant herself and sometimes she needs a spot to unload her goods and can’t find one. Other times she has food delivered, and the truck has trouble getting a spot, but mostly she doesn’t have a problem with the drivers.

“It used to be more loud, but it’s gotten quiet,” Limberis said.

Aram Gozubuyukian, owner of Custom Cleaners and Tailoring on the southern side of the street, understands why they’re parked on the curb.

“It’s inconvenient,” he said. “But they have to make a living too. They cannot drive around all the time.”

On W. 181st Street west of Ft. Washington Avenue the much busier thoroughfare has the same problem. At about 10 a.m. on Oct. 7, there are nine cars on the eastbound side of the street and five on the westbound side.

“Everybody has a problem with these guys,” said Jin Lee, owner of the 24-hour Jin’s Superette.

“These guys double park all the time.”

There’s one traffic officer that visits the stretch every morning in one of those tiny three-wheeled police vehicles, shooing away the livery cabs.

“He’s always telling these guys to move. He’s the best,” Lee said.

But like on W. 187th Street – they always return.

Franklin Hess, special assistant to Assembly Member Farrell said that meeting about the issue promised in the spring happened just recently. He joined a representative from Jackson’s office and Damian Rodriguez, owner of First Class Car and Limo, one of the biggest car services in Northern Manhattan.

“There are too many livery cabs parking at meters,” Hess said. “They live off people coming in and out.”

He wants residents to write down the offensive car’s number and company and report it to his office.

He’s hoping to convince the drivers to wait in less congested areas, like the dark northern end of Cabrini Boulevard far from residential buildings where car break-ins occur often and a 24 hour presence might be beneficial.

First Class President Damien Rodriguez said that won’t work as long as people hail cars illegally off the street.

“The old people who are taking a cab will not go over there,” he said.

He said the problem wouldn’t be so bad if people used the system.

Some control also has to be exerted by the bases, he said. His 350 drivers have a white shirt and black tie dress code, and are admonished if they are caught making an illegal U-turn, parking in an illegal spot or making too much noise talking while waiting for a call.

“I think we need to work with the community on this,” Rodriguez said, particularly because the Community Board weighs in when its time to renew bases’ licenses.

Drivers shouldn’t be fined or ticketed if they are paying at a parking spot either, he said.

“Anybody can put a quarter, because it’s legal.”

Peralta said it doesn’t matter where they park, they’ll be harassed anyway.

He’s angry because he pays so much for insurance, for the license he needs to be a livery driver, and his other business expenses.

Whether it’s on Cabrini Avenue, W. 181st, Pinehurst or W. 190th and Amsterdam Avenue, drivers still get bothered by the police, he said.

“No hay lugar para nosotros.” [There’s no place for us to go.]

The Manhattan Times is the bilingual newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood.