The thumping of the bass could be heard outside the car as a man in his early twenties came to a stop at a red light. After a short drag he cracked open his window a little bit more and blew out the smoke from his cigarette, letting out a sigh. It was your average two in the afternoon weekday and the packed traffic was already coming to a halt.
A current construction project in Flushing Queens has claimed a quarter of a large parking lot for a commercial and residential building. With the diminishing parking spaces available, more and more traffic has piled up on the streets, leading to additional congestion of pedestrians on the sidewalks. There are those who favor the new establishment and others whom resent it but, whatever side you are on, the lack of parking space has become a big issue in Flushing.
“I’m just here to buy some groceries and having to wait through this traffic and finding a parking space makes me want to bang my head against a wall,” said Kevin, the twenty or so year-old in his car.
Aside from the current construction going on, another commercial building, completed a while back, now houses stores such as BJ’s, AppleBees, Best Buy, Target, and even a Chuck E Cheese’s. This new building has attracted customers from all over Queens and even other places due to the ease of accessibility through the Number 7 train. While this mall has its own parking spaces available, it is located a bit further out from Main Street Flushing but that doesn’t stop the shoppers.
“It used to be fine driving to Flushing and finding a parking space. With all these new buildings, shops, people, and traffic signs, it’s much easier and time efficient to take the bus or even walk,” said Ling, an elderly woman who sat next to me on the bus.
The streets, sidewalks, trains, and even buses are crowded. A few years back, Flushing was never this popular and finding an empty seat on public transportation was easy. John,a local resident who doesn’t own a car calls the Golden Horse Taxi Service when he needs a ride, even if it’s to buy groceries. A recent interview with a dispatcher at the Golden Horse Taxi service revealed that there has been an influx of customers within the Flushing area. The dispatcher agreed that part of the increase is due to the decrease of parking spaces.
Other residents, ess concerned about the parking dilemma, welcome the new commercial buildings. Jackie a student attending NYU who currently lives in Flushing said, “I don’t mind these new buildings. Eventually Flushing may become like a small Manhattan and I’d be happy to be in my natural habitat again.”
The current construction project that will replace 100 or so parking spaces is slowly making progress with an estimated completion date of 2014. Whether or not there will ultimately be parking spaces provided within the establishment is still unknown, but right now many residents and commuters see it as an inconvenience.