Do They Not See The Sign And The Yellow Curb? What More Do They Need?

It is not at all unusual to see illegally parked cars at the busy intersection of 3rd & Columbia, where the largest of trucks and tractor trailers make the turn in the truck route and where patrons of the Hudson Bazaar bodega often park illegally due to the lack of available legal spaces.  Another group of people regularly park illegally at the intersection, but not just for a few minutes or just to grab a snack.

A few years ago, in an effort to make the intersection safer, the city created a long NO PARKING ZONE by removing 3 parking spaces on the north side of Columbia Street just west of 3rd Street, alongside the mosque-in-progress.  A sign was put up and the curb was painted yellow to allow more space for trucks and tractor trailers turning off of 3rd Street to head west on Columbia. The curb appears to have recently been given a fresh coat of yellow paint by DPW.  But none of this seems to matter to certain members of the Hudson Islamic Center when prayer services are being held around noontime. (Services are still held in the original Islamic Center, located in the basement of the house at the corner of N. 3rd & Long Alley.)

Yesterday in the early afternoon, for more than one hour, there were 3 cars illegally parked along the yellow curb and in front of the NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER sign. The cars were in the way of at least one tractor trailer making the tight turn off of 3rd Street, and soon after prayer services were finished, at about 1:30, the cars were occupied and driven away.

I'm thinking that this kind of behavior is a cultural thing that I will never understand, but it sure would be interesting to ask these people parking their cars illegally why they feel the rules, the sign and the yellow curb can regularly be ignored for over an hour.  "What is it exactly about the NO PARKING sign and the yellow curb that do not apply to you?  Do you regularly leave your car parked in front of fire hydrants for an hour or more, too?"