DOT Will Move 'No Parking' Sign At Windsor Terrace Ticket Trap

WINDSOR TERRACE, BROOKLYN — A fire hydrant responsible for thousands of dollars in fines – and which is a ticket trap because it's hidden by a wrought iron fence overrun with ivy – will be slapped with a more obvious no-parking sign.

A DOT spokesperson told Patch that a nearby "No Parking Anytime" sign, which points away from the hydrant, will be moved to be in front of it and upgraded to "No Standing Anytime." That is expected to be installed by the end of the month, according to DOT.

The hydrant sits in a grassy knoll about 100 feet east of East Fifth Street on Ocean Parkway, in front of P.S. 130 in Windsor Terrace. The fence and overgrown brush around it make it difficult to see from the street, leading drivers to park there and rack up ticket fees.

Patch first brought the issue to light on Sunday night, noting that 148 tickets have been given out at that spot totaling more than $17,000 since July of 2016.

Since then, several people have come forward to tell similar stories of getting hit with a $115 ticket after unknowingly parking in front of the hidden hydrant.

"I've parked here before and gotten that ticket. I ended up fighting it online and it was thrown out without having to go to court," one resident wrote on a neighborhood Facebook page.

"I also got a ticket here and fought it and won...but my defense was that I was in fact 15 feet away from it. My car was parked in front of another car that was directly in front of the hydrant. I had a ton of pictures too," another wrote on the page.

City Councilman Brad Lander, who represents the area, said his office heard about the issue a week ago from a constituent complaint and worked with the DOT to get a resolution.

"My staff reached out to DOT who agreed to move the 'No Standing Anytime' sign to be in front of the fire hydrant to make sure there’s no future confusion," Lander said in an emailed statement to Patch.

"We heard today that this will be installed before the end of the month. My staff also followed with DEP to see if the hydrant was functional and, if not, if it could be removed. We’re moving quickly to see this issue remedied."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, which manages the city's fire hydrants, told Patch that the hydrant has been inspected by DEP and the FDNY and is currently "active and accessible."

READ MORE: Don't Get Caught In This Windsor Terrace Ticket Trap

Photo by Marc Torrence, Patch