Harlem Cops Turned Street Into Parking Lot, Neighbors Complain

HARLEM, NY — A median in a Harlem street intended to calm traffic has instead been commandeered by private cars in a takeover spearheaded by a nearby police precinct, according to fed-up neighbors, who say the practice endangers pedestrians and snarls traffic.

The yellow median runs in the middle of St. Nicholas Avenue from West 123rd to 124th streets — steps away from the NYPD's 28th Precinct. It was painted on in 2018 as "part of a bike lane and traffic calming project," according to a Department of Transportation spokesperson, who confirmed that it was not intended for parking.

But starting early in the pandemic, drivers began parking their private vehicles in the median, two neighbors told Patch. Eddy Portnoy, who lives nearby, said the trend began after a snowstorm, when placarded police vehicles began to appear in the median — followed by civilian cars.

"They saw the police do it and they’re like, 'Oh, this is a parking spot,'" Portnoy said.

In the ensuing two years, the median has been almost constantly filled with a line of private cars. When Patch stopped by on Thursday, 10 vehicles lined the street, including one with an NYPD decal in the window and another with a license plate issued by the Fraternal Order of Police.

Neighbors say the takeover poses a real hazard for pedestrians trying to cross St. Nicholas Avenue, since the line of vehicles makes it impossible to watch for oncoming traffic. Faraz, a neighbor who crosses the street several times a day with his four-year-old daughter, called it "an accident waiting to happen."

"You have to tiptoe all the way to the edge of the car and peek your head over, and I'm trying to keep my daughter behind me," said Faraz, who asked Patch not to include his last name.

Meanwhile, with the median full, trucks making deliveries on the block are forced to idle in the middle of the street or in the bike lane, fully blocking the roadway. On multiple occasions, Portnoy said he has seen an MTA bus veer into the oncoming traffic lane due to a blockage.

Faraz said he raised the issue last year at a monthly Zoom meeting hosted by the 28th Precinct and received a verbal commitment from a captain to "look into it." Portnoy, too, said he had tried to submit complaints to 311, but could not find a complaint category that fit the problem.

In a statement to Patch, NYPD spokesperson Detective Sophia Mason said that the "Commanding Officer is aware of the condition and is working to address it."

But the takeover remained in full swing a day later. Within minutes of Patch arriving at the median on Thursday, a traffic jam got underway: a P.C. Richard delivery truck began blocking the bike lane and much of the roadway while unloading products, causing a multi-car backup that snaked around 123rd Street, complete with a cacophony of horns.

New Yorkers have long complained about similar parking problems near other NYPD precincts, with police cars blocking sidewalks, bus stops and other rights-of-way. Indeed, across the street from the St. Nicholas median, NYPD vehicles also cover much of the sidewalk facing the 28th Precinct — sometimes making it impassable for parents pushing strollers, Faraz said.

Police have often chalked their parking practices up to a shortage of spots on nearby streets. Last year, the NYPD warned its officers in an internal memo to cease illegal parking in public places — but it appears to have had little impact in places like St. Nicholas Avenue.

"People in my building and the building next door are all kind of annoyed by this permanent parking lot in the middle of the street," Portnoy said.

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.

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