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Cars continue to block sidewalks on the corner of Sackett and Bronxdale avenues.

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Officers of the 49th Precinct are cracking down on illegally parked cars near auto body shops on Sackett Avenue.

Since the spring, residents of Bogart and Radcliff avenues between Sackett and Pierce avenues have expressed concern over four nearby auto repair shops who park and leave cars without valid registration stickers or license plates on their residential streets.

Although Officer Jay Sturdivant and Community Board 11 district manager Jeremy Warneke visited the location several times, but complaints have skyrocketed, and Warneke and several officers re-visited the scene on Monday, October 24.

Officers found half a dozen cars without license plates, expired registrations, numerous double parked vehicles, and two cars blocking a pedestrian ramp on the corner of Sackett and Bronxdale avenues.

“It’s beginning to get a little unfair now. They take these cars and they leave them on our streets when parking is already hard to find around here,” said one resident. “Most of these cars don’t even have license plates and they just sit there for months. They double park these cars on Sackett Avenue everyday and it’s difficult to drive down the street.”

Traffic Enforcement Officer Tyrone Mederos joined Sturdivant and contacted a local tow truck company to come to the scene and remove the vehicles. After realizing police officers were on the scene, workers of XXL Body Shop on 912 Sackett Avenue, Carlo’s Auto Repair on 1540 Bronxdale Avenue, and The New King Auto Body Repair on 905A Sackett Avenue began moving the vehicles into their shops.

In the last four weeks, 49th Deputy Inspector Kevin Nicholson and his officers ordered seven other vehicles towed for the same reasons. Sturdivant said it’s an issue that will no longer be tolerated within the 49th Precinct.

“The last time we came here in May, we found five vehicles with either no license plates or expired registrations. We tow two,” Sturdivant said. “Neighbors are going through here and it’s not fair that they are losing their parking spaces because of these cars being placed everywhere. We want these body shops to know that we will constantly monitor this area.”

Warneke, who took over as CB 11 district manager in February, said this is one of the major issues he has been working on with local residents.

A Department of Sanitation supervisor told Warneke it’s a common practice to place cars on pedestrian ramps. He has personally seen young mothers forced to walk their baby strollers in the street to avoid the illegally parked cars.

“We receive calls constantly at our office and it’s a shame that these residents have to deal with this,” Warneke said.

©2011 Community Newspaper Group