Head honchos at a Flatbush Avenue car dealership notorious for taking up parking spots on the busy strip with its own cars for sale finally hauled them all away, shortly after this newspaper wrote about locals’ complaints — elating flabbergasted neighbors who thought they would never see the day.
“It’s all great. There’s no more cars, they keep a couple on the sidewalk but not where people have to walk,” said Peter, who lives a few blocks away and asked his last name be withheld for fear of retribution. “I was shocked. I’m overwhelmed — the pen is a pretty mighty sword.”
Employees at Brooklyn Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram — between Fillmore Avenue and Avenue S — would park nearly 20 cars on the block seven days a week, 24-hours a day — one of them with license plates, and often double-parked or blocked the fire hydrant, according to locals.
The parking problem had plagued the street for years, but when a new general manager took over the dealership about two months ago, he vowed to tackle the issue — and did.
“I told you that I would make the changes. We removed all the cars from the street and opened up all the parking, no cars are left on the sidewalk at night,” said Jeff Berlant. “The neighbors seem to be happier that our cars aren’t on the street. It gives us a better image, we have to be a positive force in the community, not a negative one. I think it was some very good changes we made and we did them quickly.”
Berlant and other neighbors also kvetched that city employees from the nearby Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus depot on Fillmore Avenue between E. 49th Street and Utica Avenue would also quickly swoop in to take up the same spots if any were empty — but a chat with the police has seemed to solve that problem as well, said Berlant.
“The police had a meeting with MTA about not parking cars along Flatbush, and trying to support the community the right way,” he said.
Traffic agents from the 63rd Precinct are still monitoring the situation, but things are looking good, said the station house’s community affairs officer.
“I don’t see any cars on the street,” said Thomas Podd. “The guy is good, he understands.”
