City targets illegal truck parking in Queens
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Mayor Eric Adams announced early results of the city’s efforts to combat trucks illegally parked on residential streets. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By Rachel Vick
The city is cracking down on illegal truck parking on residential roads, an issue officials say is a plague particular to Queens.
Between Aug. 15 and Aug. 19, the 103rd, 105th, and 113th precincts ran Operation “Heavy Duty Enforcement,” issuing nearly 600 summons and towing dozens of illegally parked tractor trailers off of city streets.
“For far too long, large commercial vehicles have been parking illegally in this neighborhood, disrupting daily life, and contributing to noise, traffic, and pollution,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “We cannot let our neighborhood streets turn into illegal parking lots.”
The NYPD issued 597 summonses, attached 89 wheel clamps, and towed 55 illegally parked vehicles in the first five days.
Councilmember Linda Lee celebrated the step toward enforcement but underscored the need to work with everyone involved, from drivers to elected officials beyond the city level, to combat the infrastructure issue that has grown “exponentially worse” in recent years.
“I never thought I'd be an expert on the illegal truck parking issue but the further down the rabbit hole you go the more you realize the multifaceted approach we need to take,” she told the Eagle. “It’s great that people are already aware and we’re all in agreement on how important this issue is and we need to solve it for the community. It's got to be a multi-pronged approach.”
Lee said that conversations with the trucking industry have already begun.
“We, my office and others, have been in touch with the union that represents a lot of truck drivers and want to work with the trucking industry because the burden shouldn’t fall on the drivers themselves,” Lee added. “So we need to make sure we come up with an approach that involves the companies utilizing the trucks as well as [the Department of Transportation] and other city agencies.”
Truck parking is a problem in District 23 with heavy commercial parking along Hillside Avenue and the underpass near the Grand Central Parkway and Union Turnpike, Lee said.
The DOT recently responded to her office’s requests for no standing signs at the underpass, representative of win for the district and an indication that officials are responding to the calls from communities.
New York City parking law prohibits large, commercial vehicles from parking on residential streets between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. There are no open rest stops in Queens, and drivers mandated to take breaks between shifts often have paid lots as their only legal option.
Bills have been introduced in state and local legislatures to increase the fines for illegal overnight parking, but none have yet to become law.
The issue spans the borough, with representatives from each corner fighting to remedy the quality of life issue, though according to Lee “in Eastern Queens we've gotten ahead of it and organized more and hopefully use it as an example of what we can do across the city.”
Councilmember Sandra Ung said the issue is apparent in her neighborhoods too, often to those who live on or near the Horace Harding Expressway where tractor trailers often park for long periods of time.
“My office has received multiple complaints regarding these large trucks and 18 wheelers, including idling trucks, which can increase air pollution and affect the health of residents, especially children and older adults,” she said “While I appreciate that these drivers have long routes and are mandated by federal law to take breaks, we can’t allow our residential streets to be turned into illegal parking lots.”
