WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 19, 2019 43
Holden bill will require towing
reports to combat placard misuse
BY VINCENT BARONE
The Police Department will have
to prove its actually towing cars
parked in dangerous, illegal
locations under a new city bill passed
Tuesday.
The legislation would require the
department to publish a report “no
later than” Jan. 31 of 2021 outlining the
number of vehicles its force removes
from areas like sidewalks, bus or bike
lanes over the next year. Sponsored by
Queens Councilman Robert Holden,
the bill is part of the City Council’s
larger attempt to crack down against
municipal workers who misuse
government-issued parking placards
to park wherever they please without
repercussion—a rampant practice
across the fi ve boroughs—and reform
the system.
“Go around any police precinct,
especially in Queens…it is a free-forall
around the precincts and I think it
needs to stop,” said Holden, referencing
city workers’ illegal parking habits.
Government workers routinely
stuff parking placards, agencybranded
vests or paraphernalia on
the dashboards of their vehicles to
park illegally—a practice advocates
and elected offi cials have argued degrades
the city’s public space; creates
safety hazards and lowers the public’s
trust in government. But it’s not clear
if Holden’s bill, or the package recently
passed in the Council, would actually
make a diff erence.
Placard abuse has prevailed
Councilman Bob Holden and Speaker Corey Johnson discuss the passage of a parking bill aimed at preventing
dangerous parking in New York City by anyone, including law enforcement for no reason other than to park a
private auto. Photo by Todd Maisel
multiple announced “crackdowns”
largely because police are reluctant
to ticket fellow government workers,
opponents have argued. The issue was
thrust back in the spotlight in 2017 after
the de Blasio administration issued
tens of thousands of more placards to
Department of Education staff .
Holden himself acknowledged that
getting police to follow the rules of
the road could be diffi cult—though he
hopes the report on towing will help
hold the department accountable.
“That’s going to be a challenge here
and it remains to be seen,” Holden
said.
The original version of the bill
was allowed for third-party vendors
to be called to conduct the towing,
but the Police Department in March
testifi ed against that component. Oleg
Chernyavsky, the NYPD’s executive
director of legislative aff airs, said it
would create an “unworkable situation”
where a company would have custody
and the ability to obtain a mechanic’s
lien on a city-owned vehicle.
The bill was subsequently tweaked
to specify towing will be conducted by
the Police Department.
Ridgewood taproom opens new cafe
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Evil Twin‘s brewing up more than just
beer!
The Ridgewood taproom has partnered
with local roasters to offer customers a hot cup
o’ joe and tea.
The recently opened cafe space is located along
the marble bar within the glass paneled greenhouse,
and will provide an array of seasonal
coffee flavors as well as tea.
Evil Twin partnered with Sey Coffee, a
Bushwick-based micro-roasting company, to
bring customers some of the finest and carefully
treated coffee in the city.
The two will be working together to create a
“unique and exclusive coffee blend” that will be
available for retail purchase in the future.
Additionally, Evil Twin partnered with In
Pursuit of Tea to provide tea options and Mast
Brothers Chocolate for their hot chocolate offerings
— with cocoa sourced from Africa through
Kokoa Kamila.
If that’s not enough, a variety of pastries will
also be available to compliment your warm drink
from L’imprimerie, a French bakery on Myrtle
Avenue.
L’imprimerie specialize in small batch
breads and pastries using local and organic
ingredients.
This is just another way Evil Twin explores
collaborations with local vendors.
Evil Twin Coffee will be open seven days a
week, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3
p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Evil Twin is located at 1616 George
Street between Cypress Ave and Wyckoff Ave
in Ridgewood.
For more information, you can reach Evil Twin
via email at info@eviltwin.dk.
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