bikes chained to parking signs

kevin_on_putnam

New York's little mysteries: Lately someone has been locking bikes to the parking signs in front of our house. Tonight I came home and, in addition to the regular bike I've been shoveling around, I found a supermarket cart locked to the parking sign, filled with a black garbage bag which I'm guessing contains recycling bottles or small treasures pulled from other people's trash, or maybe just trash. I don't want to harass someone who may not even have a consistent place to sleep each night, but I started to wonder if we might find ourselves with a sanitation ticket because of this. Should we do something or not worry about it?

modsquad

Interesting question. Depending on what kind of a day the sanitation dude is having, you could be held responsible for the bag of recycling in the shopping cart as "offensive material or litter" If the shopping cart was always empty I can't imagine getting a ticket for the cart and not the bike as an "obstruction" That would be "class discrimination". You need to catch one of those sanitation cops and see how he ponders the question.

§ 16–118 Littering prohibited. 1. No person shall litter, sweep, throw or cast, or direct, suffer or permit any servant, agent, employee, or other person under his or her control, to litter, sweep, throw or cast any ashes, garbage, paper, dust or other rubbish and refuse of any kind whatsoever, in or upon any street or public place, vacant lot, air shaft, areaway, backyard court or alley.
2. (a) Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or person in charge of any building or premises shall keep and cause to be kept the sidewalk, flagging and curbstone abutting said building or premises free from obstruction and nuisances of every kind, and shall keep said sidewalks, flagging, curbstones, and air shafts, areaways, backyards, courts and alleys free from garbage, refuse, rubbish, litter, debris and other offensive material. Such persons shall also remove garbage, refuse, rubbish, litter, debris and other offensive material between the curbstone abutting the building or premises and the roadway area extending one and one-half feet from the curbstone into the street on which the building or premises front. Such persons shall not, however, be responsible for cleaning the garbage, refuse, rubbish, litter, debris and other offensive material which accumulates at catch basins located within the one and one-half foot distance from the curbstone into the street.

putnam-denizen

Since I live next door to Kevin, I too have noticed the same thing. It seems to be the property of some homeless folks who are crawling into the parking lot of the building directly across the street from Outpost on Fulton (the parking lot is on Irving). We've already had one fire on that block, so I am somewhat concerned. The shopping cart is unsightly, but then maybe my car parked in the street is unsightly. It feels like one of those urban moral quandries.

kevin_on_putnam

Yes, my wife wrote the original post (she was shoveling while I was recovering from the flu). I'm more than a little concerned about the guys living in the abandoned buildings. It's been very cold. I see them from time to time and I haven't had the chance to ask them how they are. I feel sad that there are not better resources for these guys. They could seriously freeze to death. They're probably earning a marginal existence redeeming bottles etc. and look fairly pulled together... but it's got to be rough for them.

flo

I have a friend who is participating in a homeless count tonight. Maybe you'll see them out on your block. (Not sure how much of the city they can canvass in one night.) The project's website is here: https://hope2009.cuny.edu/welcome.aspx

Anyway, maybe the city's department of homeless services will have some advice for you here:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/press/pr011409.shtml

kevin_on_putnam

I saw one of the guys who lives in the abandoned building get arrested last night

putnam-denizen

A neighbor got a ticket because of a shopping cart chained to the house fence filled with trash. (House is vacant, cart is used by "canner"). Don't know if sanitation would have issued ticket for bike on street sign or cart on street sign.