Construction Workers Caught Forklifting Cars Onto Sidewalks

In New York City, construction companies can get temporary “No Parking” orders to make it easier to move their equipment and materials in and around a job site. And while drivers who ignore these signs can have their vehicles ticketed and towed, the construction workers do not have the authority to relocate those cars with a forklift.

CBS New York has reported on multiple stories of people in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg section having their cars illegally moved onto sidewalks with the aid of a forklift.

First came the family who managed to get video evidence of their SUV being moved by construction workers.

At first, the family wondered how their new Infiniti SUV had gotten one corner several feet up onto the sidewalk, resting up against a tree. There was also visible damage to the rear bumper:

Additionally, the SUV now has issues with steering and braking.

Then a neighbor showed them video footage of their car being picked up and moved by a forklift from the neighboring construction site, where a large apartment building is in the works.

Others in the area say these forklift relocations happen “every day” near the job site.

And that claim seems to be bolstered by the latest report from CBS New York, involving a local man whose Lexus was picked up by a forklift and moved completely off the road and onto the sidewalk, resulting in thousands of dollars in damage.

Two other residents in the neighborhood tell the station that they too have had their cars pushed around by the over-eager forklift.

The “No Parking” signs used by the construction workers appeared to be unofficial, nothing that anyone with a printer and photocopier couldn’t make in a few seconds, but CBS confirms that the developer did indeed get the proper approvals to have empty streets during construction.

Regardless of whether or not any of these drivers were parked illegally, there are non-forklift avenues available for clearing in-the-way cars.

Two Trees Management, the developer of the new building, tells CBS that it has reprimanded the subcontractor for its “unacceptable behavior,” and that this subcontractor will fully pay for any damages.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist