Surprise Towing Program Sparks 'War On Cars' Forum In Fort Greene

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — A city program that left residents with tow boots and $185 tickets on their cars has prompted a local forum about the larger "war on cars" culture Fort Greene and Clinton Hill residents say is spreading in New York City.

Residents organizing the town hall meeting — which will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sep. 17 — said they will use it to draft a letter to the city's Department of Transportation and elected officials about better considering car owners in their policies, like a loading zone pilot program put in place earlier this summer.

The pilot program eliminated daytime parking on Greene Avenue to create "drop-off and pick-up" zones, but was quickly reversed after residents rallied against the plan.

Residents said DOT had given both car owners and those that might be using the new loading zones almost no notice about the program, except for signs up a day earlier that said "no parking 7 a.m. to 7 p.m."

"People came out and found their cars with tickets or booted — some had signs on it that said 'Pay $185 in the next two hours or your car will be towed,'" said Lucy Koteen, one of the organizers of the town hall. "The first (problem) was that people got booted, ticketed and towed with no warning, but the absurdity was no delivery man would know that was a place he could safely drop- off or pick-up."

DOT did not respond to Patch's request for comment on the program's status, but told News 12 last month that it removed the signs and is looking for other spots to try out the pilot program.

Koteen said the program was just the latest example of what Fort Greene and Clinton Hill residents feel is an attack on drivers, both in street changes under city programs like Vision Zero and in rhetoric she said vilifies car owners.

She contends that while a shift to public transportation or cycling works for some, those who need cars should not be deemed the enemy.

"Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have a very large elderly population — subways and bikes are not accessible to everybody," she said. "Shared streets need to truly be shared streets and should not be designed for just one constituency."

Vision Zero, created by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014, is the city's initiative to end traffic deaths by altering street design, adding bike lanes and ramping up enforcement against speeding and other traffic violations. De Blasio more recently devoted another $58.4 million to street changes and more bike lanes this year after a spike in cyclist deaths. This year, 20 cyclists have died on city streets, up from 10 total fatalities in 2018.

The Fort Greene town hall will be held at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church at 85 S Oxford Street from 6 to 9 p.m.