Hell's Kitcheners Persuade NYPD To Move Illegally-Parked Cars

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — The NYPD has moved police cars that had long been parked on the sidewalk near a Hell's Kitchen precinct, which irked neighbors who said the fleet of vehicles had made the street impassable for pedestrians.

Neighbor Charlie Todd took a photo Friday morning showing the sidewalk along West 54th Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues cleared of cars, complete with barricades reading "parallel parking only."

It is illegal to park any vehicle on a New York City sidewalk, but neighbors have little ability to stop police who flout this rule, since parking violations are handled by the local precinct.

Todd, along with other neighbors, had raised the issue for years with the NYPD's Midtown North Precinct, whose stationhouse sits on the block.

Thank you to @NYPDMTN for addressing community concerns about sidewalk parking and stroller/wheelchair access on 54th Street. Before and after photos show the problem and the simple solution. pic.twitter.com/9EWIYmKSTI
— Charlie Todd (@charlietodd) March 19, 2021

Their cause was also taken up by Community Board 4, whose members said in January that they planned to push Inspector Megan O'Malley, the precinct's commanding officer, to find a solution.

Even before the cars were moved, Todd said O'Malley had been receptive to the neighbors' complaints.

"I'm very pleased that Midtown North has found a solution to this issue," he wrote in an email to Patch. "This spot in front of the courthouse has consistently created a problem for those with strollers and wheelchairs, so it is wonderful to have these new barriers that will enforce the illegal sidewalk parking."

Thumbs down to @NYPDMTN for continually making 54th Street inaccessible to strollers and wheelchairs by parking on the sidewalk despite many community complaints. cc: @Chekpeds, @dalecorvino, @ManhattanBoard4, @CoreyinNYC pic.twitter.com/lSzOZwyQrP
— Charlie Todd (@charlietodd) January 17, 2021

O'Malley had previously defended the practice by pointing to the lack of parking spots in the neighborhood, and arguing that NYPD vehicles are often vandalized when they are left far from the precinct.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The changes on West 54th Street followed another retreat by the NYPD this week at Columbus Circle, where police barricades were taken down after nine months blocking the small park.