GARAGE WARNING FOR STUDENTS

By James Chang

Park-It garage, at 200 West End Ave., will mount a flashing red light outside its driveway to alert pedestrians of entering and exiting vehicles after concerned parents at nearby P.S. 199 complained to managers.
The garage, which opened last November, originally had no auditory or visual warning signals. The school’s PTA worried that traffic coming and going from the garage would pose a hazard for students at the school, at 270 West 70th St.
In June, the PTA sent a letter to Park-It management urging the garage to install some sort of “warning light or sound” to alert students. Council Member Gale Brewer wrote a follow-up letter to Park-It in support of P.S. 199.
Members of the PTA are “thrilled” with the way the garage responded.
“There are kids going back and forth in front of the garage all the time, not just our kids,” said parent Laura Sametz, who coordinated the PTA’s efforts. “So it is great that the garage is stepping up and doing the right thing.”
“The parents of P.S. 199 are very intelligent and very committed, and if they are pleased with the safety features, I think it’s a good resolution,” Brewer said.
Brewer is working on legislation that would require parking facilities within 200 feet of a school to have, among other features, audible warning signals. Currently, there are no mandatory guidelines for such facilities.
The bill will be introduced in the fall.