You are reading

‘Cash-for-Car’ signs are an eyesore and something needs to be done, pol. says

31st Street Astoria

31st Street Astoria

Oct. 25, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan

The illegal Cash-For-Cars signs that can be found throughout Queens have caught the attention of an elected official.

State Senator Tony Avella, who represents a large portion of central Queens, announced his intention to take action against these signs last week after receiving many complaints from his constituents and witnessing someone putting up the signs for himself.

He took a photograph of a man putting up the signs from a tow truck, and sent them along with a letter asking for stronger action by the Department of Sanitation.

cashforcars3“Every community in New York understands how much of an eyesore these illegal signs can be. Residents have complained for years about these signs but very little, if anything, is ever done,” Avella said in a statement.

“Now that we have identified one of the companies posting these signs, I hope Sanitation can take aggressive action to put an end to this horrible trend.”

Though Avella’s district primarily covers the neighborhoods of Flushing, Whitestone, College Point and Bayside, the signs are spread all over western Queens as well.

Department of Sanitation Kathy Dawkins explained that while posting the signs on public property is illegal, it is often very hard to track down those responsible, as many of the phone numbers on the signs lead to throwaway phones.

Dawkins claimed that the Sanitation Department does take the signs down and said that the department had taken down thousands of citywide, although she did not provide a time frame or any detailed information.

Queens Blvd

Queens Blvd

The penalty for a first time offense is a fine of between $75 and $200, as well as the cost of removal, and any subsequent offense carries a fine of $150 to $300.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s office, which primarily represents Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City, has not received any constituent complaints concerning these signs, according to a spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, Councilman Costa Constantinides, who represents Astoria and East Elmhurst, chose not to comment on the matter.

email the author: [email protected]

3 Comments

Click for Comments 
Anonymous

OF course Constantinides chose not to comment on the matter. It’s pretty obvious to everyone living in Astoria that this has become an eyesore but let’s ignore it, the way he ignores any serious problem. What exactly is he waiting for? Maybe it would annoy him if someone put it up on his block.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Manhattan bouncer charged in New Year’s Day fatal stabbing in Elmhurst: NYPD

A Manhattan man was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal stabbing of an East Elmhurst man during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in what notably became the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Torrence Holmes, 35, of St. Nicholas Place in Hamilton Heights, was taken into custody at his home and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst on manslaughter and other charges on Saturday afternoon.

After surge of traffic violence, Queens leaders demand safer streets especially for children

Following a tragic week on Queens streets where three pedestrians — 43-year-old Natalia Garcia-Valencia, 58-year-old Elisa Bellere and 8-year-old Bayrron Palomino Arroyo — were fatally struck by unsafe drivers, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that he has allocated $1.5 million in capital funding for street safety improvements on three of the borough’s most dangerous roadways.

Richards made the announcement at 82nd Street and Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst on Monday morning, about a mile from where the 8-year-old boy was struck and killed by an impatient pickup truck driver from Flushing on Mar. 13 as he walked in the crosswalk at 31st Avenue and 101st Street with him mother and brother, who was injured.