Community News
BY MAX PARROTT
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and
Councilman Costa Constantinides joined
transportation activists on Cyber Monday
to call for an end to the Stipulated Fine
Program through which trucking companies can
agree to pay a pre-set, reduced fine amount for
parking offenses.
“We have seen more than 50,000 bike lane vio-lations
over a two-year period with little to no penalty
for these companies. Frankly, it’s sickening that we
give delivery corporations a free pass to put people
at risk,” Constantinides said.
By mid-morning Dec. 2, the e-commerce holiday
Cyber Monday was on track to set an online sales
record. Sales were expected to reach a total of $9.4
billion, roughly a 19 percent jump over last year,
according to USA Today.
26 DECEMBER 2019 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
For New York, this means an impending surge of
last-mile deliveries. A 2018 study by the Transportation
Research Record found that approximately 1.7 million
U.S. Postal Service packages are delivered on average
each week in New York, meaning 195,000 delivery
stops. This number is expected to swell considerably
over the next week, along with the level of congestion
across the city as a result.
The fee reduction of the program is considerable.
A double-parking ticket for a truck — normally $115,
for example — is reduced to $35 for companies in the
program. Some tickets even get reduced to nothing.
According to an Independent Budget Office report the
program “saved the 10-most heavily fined trucking
firms as much as $10 millions on their summonses.”
The advocates argued that Stipulated Fine Pro-gram
has made congestions more treacherous by
lessening the consequences of blocking bike lanes,
fire hydrants and crosswalks for companies like FedEx,
UPS and Verizon. Constantinides pointed out that these
reductions in fines end up endangering cyclists and
inconveniencing drivers.
“While intended to reduce the backlog in our
courts, the Stipulated Fine Program and Commercial
Abatement Programs have evolved into a sweetheart
deal for major logistics companies, who have nothing to
lose because they pay reduced fines while jeopardizing
the safety of our streets,” said Williams.
In October 2018, Constantinides introduced a bill
to prohibit any city agency from agreeing to reduce
fines for parking violations in exchange for a waiver
of the right to contest parking violations.
Trucks
Versus
Street
Safety
Astoria councilman rallies on Cyber Monday
to argue that pre-set fine program for delivery
trucks makes streets unsafe
Courtesy of Councilman Constantinides’ office
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