Community Magazine August 2006

 ”  78 Community Magazine Life in the Big City E-Z Pass Fee Officially Eliminated Motorists can take comfort in the leg- islative momentum fueled by their com- plaints. The $1 monthly fee imposed on E- Z Pass tag holders, outraged motorists ever since being instituted about a year ago. As a result, legislators in Albany reacted by discontinuing the charge of the fee, which according to the MTA was first instituted “to help defray the administrative costs” of managing E-Z Pass accounts. No More Tow Truck Handoffs There was a brief time two years ago when New York City commandeered “unapproved” tow trucks entering its bor- ders, forcing some motorists to trans- fer their disabled vehicles from one tow operation to another to complete a trip to a repair facility. That disruptive policy will not be repeated ever again, thanks to a recent landmark victory for AAA and consumers in the US District Court in Manhattan, which struck down New York City’s efforts to license out-of-town tow trucks, deeming them unconstitutional. In April 2004, a suit was brought forth and a temporary injunction was instituted when New York City abandoned its long-stand- ing reciprocal agreements with neighbor- ing jurisdictions, and began seizing out-of- city tow trucks that crossed city lines with- out obtaining a New York City medallion. In the weeks before the court’s restraining order, the city’s action had forced a system of “hand-offs” at the New York City lines that caused service delays and significant additional expenses. Washing Up in New York Vehicles damaged in floods from last year’s hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region have begun to turn up in New York State, the National Insurance Crime Bureau warns. To protect consumers from unscrupulous sellers, it has compiled an online database of more than 200,000 cars and boats affected by the hurricanes. The information – “not independently verified” but gathered from insurance companies, salvage yards and state and local authori- ties – is available on its Web site at www. nicb.org . Consumers just need the VIN number of a prospective vehicle to search the database. The NICB estimates that more than 570,000 vehicles and boats were damaged in the storms. As many as half of them are expected to be offered to unsuspecting buyers through a process of refurbishing and “washing” titles to dis- guise the vehicles’ true history. Hybrid-Friendly Lanes The high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes of the Long Island Expressway is now open to even those vehicles with no passengers during rush hour – provided that they are hybrid energy vehicles. Under a state energy conservation initia- tive in effect since March, drivers of some low-emission vehicles can now join car- poolers and motorcyclists on the 40 miles of HOV lanes of the LIE. Their vehicles must display a “Clean Pass” obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicles when using the eastbound or westbound HOV lanes weekdays from 6am to 10am and from 3pm to 8pm. The diamond-marked lanes are open to all vehicles at other times. City TargetsGun Violence With four new pieces of legislation, Mayor Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City Council Public Safety Chair Peter F. Vallone, Jr., announced an initiative intended to com- bat gun violence. The legislation includes: the Gun Offender Registration Act for individuals convicted of criminal posses- sion of a weapon in the third degree; a one handgun every-three-month purchase limit; an Inventory bill, which would require city gun dealers to physically examine their inventories twice a year; and a ban on gun coloration kits used to disguise real guns in ‘toy-like’ colors. Mice Take to the Sky Even at 30,000 feet, New Yorkers can’t get rid their mice problem. Maintenance workers recently found 17 mice aboard an American Airlines Boing 767 that regu- larly flew between Kennedy Airport and Los Angeles, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Aside from sani- tary concerns and the revulsion factor, the mice posed a safety risk, having chewed through at least two wires in a cabin-inter- com speaker. It is believed that mice board planes with cargo or during prolonged maintenance checks. CM New York City Parking & Sanitation Schedule Occasion Date (s) Alternate ** Side Parking Garbage * & Recycling Parking Rules Banks & Post Offices Observance Tues, August 15 Suspended Normal Normal Open Labor Day Mon. September 4 Suspended Suspended Holiday Closed Rosh Hashona Sat - Sun Sep. 23-24 Suspended Normal Normal Open *Garbage: Residents who are normally scheduled for collection on the day of a holiday should place their trash out at curbside on the holiday evening for collection. Some residents will experience a disruption of on-time household collection service. Recycling : Residents who are normally scheduled for recycling collection on the day of the holiday will not receive service that week. They should place their recyclables out at curbside the following week on their regular day of service. **Alternate Side Parking: For snow and other emergencies call 311 to get an update of parking rules for a particular day Mayor Bloomberg, joined by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Weprin, Vallone and Vann, show guns that have been disguised to look like toys by a coloration kit