6 The Queens Courier • march 13, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com DOUBLE-PARKERS BEWARE BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com/@CristabelleT Ke Shen hopes the new NYPD crackdown on double-parking won’t hurt his bottom line. “This is a very business-heavy street. There is a lot of traffic in the area for deliveries, so double parking makes it easier to deliver merchandise,” said Shen, owner of Helen’s Florist on College Point Boulevard. “I have gotten plenty of tickets for it already, so I hope this crackdown doesn’t affect me even more.” A new initiative, reportedly dubbed “Operation Move Along,” is targeting double parkers in an effort to reduce accidents, not block the flow of traffic and prevent other potentially dangerous traffic conditions, according to police. The NYPD kicked off a citywide outreach campaign on March 3 to educate store owners, commercial vehicle operators and other drivers about double parking risks. After the campaign ends on March 16, a period of enforcement will start and take place between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight. The fine for double-parking in the city is $115. Police have been reportedly handing out fliers in areas where the crackdown will take place, which includes the 109th and 102nd Precincts, according to ABC New York. Areas were selected based on their “problematic double-parking conditions,” the NYPD said. THE COURIER/Photo by Katelyn Di Salvo The fliers warn drivers that when they double park they “increase the chance of a collision” and to not “be the cause of a collision of injury or death to somebody’s loved one.” Though some local residents and businesses understood the dangers of double parking, they said parking conditions left them with no other choice. “Sometimes I just need to run in for something and I don’t want to spend half an hour looking for parking. Nowadays in New York you have to plan ahead for parking. It’s terrible everywhere,” said Jonathan Villa of Richmond Hill. A UPS worker, who declined to give his name, was less concerned with the initiative since the ticket doesn’t come out of a driver’s pay. “I don’t have a choice but to park illegally,” he said. “UPS has a deal with the city and I think double-parking is one of the tickets that we don’t have to pay for.” With additional reporting by Katelyn Di Salvo st of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place Photo by Robert Stridiron Perps sought in home invasion Three men are being sought in connection with an early-morning home invasion in Howard Beach. According to a police source, on Wednesday, March 12, at 8:45 a.m., the homeowner -- and owner of Bam’s Auto Body -- was awakened by a white male suspect standing in the hall. He, along with two other alleged perps, tied up the victim and took jewelry, along with a few thousand dollars in cash. No injuries were reported, and as of press time police were looking for the three men -- two white and one Hispanic -- in their late 20s or early 30s, last seen wearing masks and gloves.
QC03132014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above