By Jacky Gerzema
The project began on Aug. 10 and if it is not completed by Dec. 1, the contractors will pay fines, said a spokesperson at Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino's office.
The lot's construction was completely financed by the Metropolitan Transit Authority because the lot has not been repaved since 1950 and was in need of major improvements, the spokesperson said.
In addition to resurfacing, new curbs and lights will be installed and additional parking spaces will be added.
"We've had some calls about inconvenience of parking, but that's to be expected while work is being done on the lot," she said.
Several commuter complained that it is difficult to find a parking space close to the station.
"I've missed the train before because I had to
park so far away and I didn't make it to the station in time," said Rick Packert. "Half the time I have to leave twenty minutes early so I can park my car and walk to the station."
Janet Bonfiglio said she's seen cars parked next to a row of parking spaces, but that aren't in a space themselves.
"If I were late, and I couldn't find a space, I'd probably do that too," she said. "As long as it wasn't blocking other cars from backing out or driving. I'd probably even park in one of these nearby lots behind stores."
Officer Connor from the First Precinct said there hasn't been an increase in ticketing since construction began on the lot in August, and that the precinct consistently patrols the area for unregistered vehicles or parking violations.
Through eminent domain, the Town of Hempstead recently purchased a nearby parking lot at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and Spruce Street. The lot should provide additional parking spaces for commuters and is scheduled to be finished this spring.
Abuse of handicapped parking spaces has also been a problem, according to some commuters and nearby businesses.
One employee from Dawson Taxi Service who did not want to give his name, said that all the parking spaces directly under the train station's platform, were marked handicapped a couple of years ago.
"We had a truck blocking a handicapped parking space once and this guy got out of his car and ran in here saying we needed to move the truck because he was late," the employee said. " He had a handicapped tag in his car, and I said 'are you handicapped?' He kind of laughed and ran back to the car."
The employee said the man did not appear to be handicapped because he was running and because of the nature of his response. He said that it seems to be too easy for people to get handicapped tags for their car so they can park at their convenience.
"This is an issue that we have been working on extensively with the Nassau County Police Department and other agencies," said Don Dreyer, director of the Office for the Physically Challenged in Nassau County. "The degree of illegal use of handicapped permits has grown over the last few years. Obviously there is a portion of this program that is very much devoted to enforcement."
Dreyer said the office works very closely with the Nassau County Police Department to cut down on abuse. The office also has a volunteer program where volunteers go out to find cars who are parked in handicapped spaces with no permits, or whose permits are expired. While volunteers cannot ticket cars like law enforcement, they take photographs of cars from the back that show the license plate numbers, the handicapped parking sign and a clear picture that a permit is not hanging from the rearview mirror or displayed elsewhere on the car.
Dreyer said there are also strict criteria set by the Department of Motor Vehicles in Albany for obtaining a handicapped parking permit.
Many criteria mandate that the disability severely affects the person's mobility. Many of these disabilities such as cancer, heart conditions, emphysema that inhibit easy mobility are called invisible disabilities.
"There is a rapidly increasing population of disabilities and we need to do more to enhance accessibility throughout the communities to allow more people with disabilities to be able to do their daily activities and be a part of the work force," Dreyer said.
