STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In a small pocket of Port Richmond, between Richmond Terrace and Castleton Avenue, orange traffic cones dot almost every street. Not to rope off street construction, not to warn drivers of a pothole or broken pavement. These cones are personal.
“Cones and garbage cans are placed in parking spaces every day,” a tipster recently informed the Advance/SILive.com, speaking about a cluster of streets in the shadow of Port Richmond High School. “Residents on the block can’t park in those spaces because the homeowners are threatening you about the space.”
A visit to the site proved the tipster right: Dozens of homeowners on Treadwell, Nicholas and Harrison avenues are saving spots “the Brooklyn way,” placing one or more cones in the street, sometimes saving multiple spots in a row. Other homes with cars already parked out front have cones at the ready, stacked on sidewalks or near front doors.
“It’s a real problem,” the tipster said…