One of the reasons you will never catch me living in a big city is the traffic. As someone who hates driving in general, I despise it so much more in a big city. Not only do you end up sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic and take forever to get from Point A to Point B, but then there is the parking. Even if I were a better parallel parker, trying to find a spot in a major city is a hassle. Now, many NYC residents are sharing just how tedious it really is. Not to mention that a new parking scam in the city is getting NYC drivers slammed with a massive amount of tickets.
What Is The New Parking Scam In NYC?
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Apparently, NYC drivers are fed up with the lack of parking spaces, so they have opted to take matters into their own hands. Unfortunatley, that doesn't always happen in the best of ways. The NY Post shared that many people across the city have been illegally using traffic cones to reserve parking spaces. Naturally, this is not allowed. As a result, the new parking scam has resulted in various drivers being slammed with tickets.
Additionally, it is angering many people. Imagine struggling to find a spot on the street, then you finally find a couple, only to have them blocked off by traffic cones for someone else. Not only is it illegal, but it is infuriating - and it doesn't seem like it is stopping any time soon. The NY Post revealed that "The Sanitation Department dished out 533 traffic-cone-obstruction violations in 2025 after an equally record-setting 7,208 complaints were made about them to 311."
Apparently, this is a rapid increase from violations in 2024. Also, the borough that is most affected by this parking scam is Queens.
The People Are Reacting
No one likes a parking scam, just like no one likes getting slammed with tickets. Alas, both seem to be continuing on an uphill trend. The NY Post shared various reactions to the current situation happening in NYC. Here are some of the comments.
- "The people next to me, they put out orange cones in places they shouldn't. I had to fight with [other drivers] about it because they were taking up legal spots." - Rob Ennis, 51-year-old resident of Glendale, Queens.
- "I've seen [cones] about four times in different places, and I take them and move them. Sometimes I have no choice and have to leave it in front of a fire hydrant," he said of his car. "I've lived here 30 years, and in the past 10 years, it's become overcrowded." - JM, 42-year-old Ridgewood resident.
