Residents Could Face Violations For Leaving Cars Parked In Street

TOWN OF ISLIP, NY — The Town of Islip is warning residents on Wednesday that after receiving numerous complaints, officials may be issuing violations to residents who leave their cars parked in the roadways blocking the plows.

"We don’t want to be in the business of fining people, especially when they’re in the midst of dealing with a storm event and a pandemic," Supervisor Angie Carpenter. "However, the situation presents a safety hazard and it’s not fair to the residents that they’re not getting curb to curb plowing, because a neighbor insists upon leaving their car in the road."

Carpenter also stated that Town Public Safety officers will be notifying residents who leave their cars in the street going forward.

"Leaving your car in the road during a storm is against the law," Carpenter said. "You can get a violation. In the interest of public safety and in the interest of what is right and fair for everyone, we are going to have to address this issue with the tools we have at our disposal."

The massive Nor'easter dumped over a foot of snow in many parts of the Town of Islip including 15.6 inches in Islip, 14.5 inches in West Islip, 13.4 inches in Bay Shore and 11.8 inches in Sayville.

According to Town officials, the storm’s high winds and cars left curbside were an impediment to plowing.

"Some of the challenges were the blizzard-like conditions, and the volume of cars parked in our roadways overnight and throughout the day," Tome Owens, Department of Public Works Commissioner, said. "The issue with cars was also the case in the storm last December. It not only prevents crews from doing their job, but it’s also dangerous for our drivers, and can cause damage to vehicles and private property."

Town crews reportedly salted all main roads, intersections, bridges and emergency routes starting 9 p.m. Sunday. Staff from the town's Department of Public Works, Parks and Department of Environmental Conservation banded together and began plowing once there was an accumulation.

At 11 p.m. Sunday, town officials called in 300 plow contractors to assist in the effort. A total of 20 large pay loaders and 12 bobcats were used to clear railroad stations, along with 40 municipal parking lots throughout the town.

"We have approximately 1,200 miles of road to clear so in a storm of this size, it’s not unusual to make 5 or 6 passes over our roadways," Owens said. "We used approx. 3,000 tons of salt for this storm."