Street Turned Into a Parking Lot”: Bnei Brak Residents Warn of Dangerous Parking Near Vizhnitz

Street Turned Into a Parking Lot”: Bnei Brak Residents Warn of Dangerous Parking Near Vizhnitz

Residents of Bnei Brak’s Vizhnitz neighborhood are raising alarms over what they describe as a persistent and dangerous parking problem, saying vehicles routinely block sidewalks and pedestrian crossings and force children, elderly residents and mothers with strollers into the street. The complaints were aired on the Osim Seder program on Kol Chai, hosted by Hillel Kessler, where a local resident identified as Avigdor said repeated appeals to the Bnei Brak municipality have failed to produce a lasting solution. According to Avigdor, the problem is particularly severe during busy periods and when large events are held by Vizhnitz, when visitors arriving in the neighborhood sometimes park their vehicles on sidewalks, near crosswalks and in other areas intended for pedestrians. Avigdor said the illegal parking can leave pedestrians with no choice but to walk in the roadway, creating what residents fear could become a life-threatening situation. He said the danger is especially serious near crosswalks, where illegally parked vehicles can obstruct motorists’ ability to see pedestrians. “It also blocks the field of vision,” Avigdor said, explaining that drivers pulling out from vehicles parked on sidewalks may have difficulty spotting small children because of their height. Residents have asked municipal officials to install bollards or other physical barriers along the sidewalks to prevent vehicles from mounting them, he said. Avigdor said residents have repeatedly submitted photographs and other documentation of the parking problems to the municipality and have also contacted the municipal official responsible for the neighborhood. Despite those efforts, he said, no permanent solution has been implemented. He also recounted an incident in which a municipal parking inspector arrived during an event and began issuing tickets to vehicles that had been parked illegally. According to Avigdor, one driver confronted the inspector and protested the enforcement, claiming that it was “our area” and that tickets should not be issued there. Kessler criticized what he described as inconsistent parking enforcement by the Bnei Brak municipality. He noted that the city is known for aggressive parking enforcement in other parts of Bnei Brak, raising questions about why residents’ complaints in the Vizhnitz neighborhood have allegedly not received a sufficient response. At the same time, the program stressed that the complaints were not directed at Vizhnitzer chassidim as a whole, but rather at particular drivers who come to the neighborhood and park in ways residents say are illegal and dangerous. Avigdor also claimed that he had heard of municipal instructions to increase the number of parking tickets issued throughout Bnei Brak because of the city’s financial situation. He did not provide evidence to substantiate that assertion. Kessler said the program contacted the Bnei Brak municipality and forwarded documentation of the alleged parking violations to city officials. As of the time the program aired, the municipality had not responded. The program said it would continue following the issue, including residents’ allegations that parking laws are not being enforced uniformly throughout the city. {Matzav.com}