Queens Residents Battle Unofficial Airport Parking Lots for Street Space

Parking Crisis in South Ozone Park

• 🏘️ Residents in South Ozone Park, Queens, are experiencing years of parking problems due to businesses serving JFK airport passengers.
• 😠 Neighbors report that workers from Drivo rental car and Purchase Park to Fly are parking customer vehicles on residential streets instead of within their designated lots.
• 🚨 The situation leads to frequent car alarms at all hours and vehicles being left for weeks, causing significant disruption.

Resident Frustrations and City Regulations

• 🚗 Many homes in the neighborhood are multi-family dwellings with limited driveway space, exacerbating the issue.
• ⚖️ Legally, vehicles can be parked on city streets for up to a week without signage, but parking lot operators are not permitted to park customer cars on streets without permission.
• 😩 Residents express extreme frustration, stating they have "so many headaches" and feel their concerns are not being addressed.

Attempts at Resolution and Temporary Relief

• 📹 Surveillance video shows employees parking SUVs in front of homes, with cars sometimes remaining for extended periods.
• 📞 Attempts to get comments from "Purchase Park to Fly" were met with uncooperative workers and being hung up on after long holds.
• 🗣️ A regional manager for Drivo acknowledged the frustration and stated efforts are made to limit and eliminate outside parking, though admitted it might occasionally go overnight.
• ✅ When CBS News arrived, the streets were noticeably emptier, suggesting a temporary improvement due to media attention.

Ongoing Enforcement and Hope for Continued Improvement

• 👮 The NYPD is aware of the ongoing parking conditions and is continuing to conduct parking enforcement in the area.
• 🙏 Residents expressed hope that the attention from CBS News would lead to a lasting solution and that the improvement would continue.