22 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 20, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
ParkNYC meter-feeding app fi nally active in Queens
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Commissioner Polly Trottenberg
announced on Tuesday that Queens residents
Photo via Twitter//@NYC_DOT
Mayor: Rosedale will be home to new 116th Precinct
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Aft er 40 years of asking for a new precinct
to cut down response times and
promptly address quality-of-life issues,
southeast Queens will welcome the 116th
Precinct.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD
Commissioner James P. O’Neill
announced on Monday in Queens that the
116th Precinct, which will cover Rosedale,
Springfi eld Gardens and Laurelton, will
operate out of the 105th Precinct’s satellite
building at 242-40 North Conduit
Ave. in Rosedale.
Th e 105th Precinct covers 12.43 square
miles and 354 miles of roadway in southeast
Queens, making it the fi ft h largest
precinct in the city. Residents and community
groups have asked the city for
years to build an additional stationhouse
so that offi cers can better respond to
emergencies. Th ough the citywide average
emergency response time is about 7
minutes, the 105th Precinct’s response
time is closer to 9 minutes.
A decade ago, the NYPD opened a satellite
offi ce on North Conduit Avenue and
in March 2016 added 18 offi cers, two sergeants
and made the offi ce a 24-hour operation
to help the 105th Precinct with its
caseloads. One month later, the mayor and
former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton
announced that $70 million would be allocated
for a new 116th Precinct.
Bess DeBetham, a Laurelton resident
for 46 years and member of the Federated
Blocks of Laurelton, outlined the community’s
long struggle to convince elected
offi cials to dedicate resources to a new
precinct. DeBetham was told in the ’70s
by former Mayor Ed Koch that a satellite
offi ce would be built.
“We were promised a satellite station
and the response from each administration
has always been the same — no
money in the budget,” she said.
In 2007, Congressman Gregory Meeks
started the 116th Precinct Task Force to
spearhead the addition of a satellite offi ce
and DeBetham thanked Councilman
Donovan Richards for making the precinct
a priority when he was elected in 2014.
“For decades we fought for an additional
precinct and it’s been a hard fi ght,” she
said. “Th ere have been many moments
of disappointment, frustration and anger
along the way but we never gave up
because we knew how important it was. It
was a struggle but it was worth it.”
Th ough the precinct’s borders have not
been determined, the NYPD will conduct
an analysis to look at geography, population,
911 and 311 calls, crime and quality
of-life issues to make its fi nal decision.
Th e 116th Precinct will take over more
than half of the 105th Precinct’s territory.
O’Neill said the new precinct is “a few
years away” from being fully operational.
“Th anks to the tireless eff orts of the
NYPD, New York City is the safest big
city in America,” de Blasio said. “Every
New York City neighborhood deserves
the same quality of service and safety
we’ve come to expect from the NYPD.
Th at is why we are making unprecedented
investments in establishing high-quality
precincts. Th e future 116th Precinct
will help reduce current response times in
southeast Queens and expand coverage
throughout the community.”
will now be able to pay for on-street
parking with their phones.
Queens is the last borough in the city
where the payment system was implemented
and now residents can use the
ParkNYC app for all 85,000 city-owned
parking spots. Th e system is operated by
Parkmobile, LLC.
Th e app links registered license plates
to NYPD traffi c enforcement agents’
handheld devices to confi rm payments.
Trottenberg announced the expansion
at a metered spot along 108th Street in
Forest Hills.
“Now drivers no longer have to scramble
for change, and they don’t even need
to walk to a Muni-Meter to get a receipt
that could blow away from their dashboard,”
she said. “With no added fees,
mobile alerts that let you know when time
is running out on your spot, and the ability
to extend a parking session without
returning to the car, ParkNYC off ers a
great convenience to New York drivers.”
New signs and decals installed near
Muni-Meters will contain a distinctive
six-digit zone code that will need to be
entered into the app for payment. Drivers
can also refi ll the meter from their phones
and still have the option to pay with cash
or credit and debit cards.
Drivers can download the app for free
through the App Store or Google Play.
Once an account is created, users can
put money in their “wallet.” Aft er a parking
spot is found, the unique zone number
should be entered into the app so the
system can identify the block and length
of time a driver will be parked. Payments
can also be made by calling an automated
phone system.
“So many Queens residents rely on a
car — especially those without access to
transit — to get around our Borough,
and parking is always a challenge,” said
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.
“ParkNYC’s mobile payment system is a
useful tool to help make that day to day
struggle a little bit simpler. Now with
the expansion of ParkNYC to Queens,
it’s easier than ever to shop and dine at
Queens’ shops and restaurants just a little
bit longer and enjoy the World’s Borough
even more.”
Visit www.parknyc.org for more information
or to open an account.
Drivers can now pay for on-street parking through an app.
Photo courtesy of Mayoral Photography Offi ce
Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Councilman I. Daneek Miller exit the 105th Precinct satellite offi ce in
Rosedale on July 17.