"Traffic
Rules Are Too Strict"
From JoongAng
February 11, 2003
By Park, YoonHee
This year, Korean business owners are suffering from New York
City's stricter traffic regulations.
Following the tightening regulations for business signs and garbage,
the parking rules in the city become stricter. Now trucks have much
less time to load products. As a result, they get more parking tickets.
Last year, the allowed time for commercial trucks for parking
and loading for grocery stores and delis was one hour. The new regulation
allows only 20 minutes, which causes some truck drivers to get one,
two or even three $150 tickets a day.
One driver from a trucking company, who delivers groceries to
seven Korean delis in Manhattan said, "We cannot load and unload
in just 20 minutes. There is no way but driving around and around
while moving the products.
And it is inefficient and annoying to move the vehicle while
we are doing the work."
One person in another truck company complained, "Twenty minutes
is not enough for us. We often have no choice but getting tickets
average of one or two in a week. Especially when it's crowded during
the prime time, the police officers just write it without listening
to any excuse."
SeMok Lee, the President of the Korean-American Grocers Association
of New York, said, "About 150 of our members are in grocery-delivering
trucks, and as the regulation got tougher, the amount of parking
penalty reached up to $10,000."
From January 27, as New York City prohibits garbage containers
in sidewalks in 59 districts, about 470 tickets were issued.
Translated from Korean by JooYeon Lee
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