A sign of the times

STATEN ISLAND // When James Allan left for work in the morning leaving his car parked outside, he was amazed to find that a No Parking sign had been erected next to his vehicle and a parking ticket issued when he returned. The new sign went up sometime between 8.30am and 11:30am, according to one of Allan's neighbours. A friend of Allan's saw what had happened and called him at his office; Allan returned home around 5pm to find fresh cement, a metal pole and a new sign had been erected next to where his car was parked. Allan has lived on the street for 29 years, and he told the Staten Island Advance that the last time he remembers seeing such a sign was "a good 13 to 14 years" ago. "Everybody parks there," he said, as there is limited on-street parking in the neighbourhood. Allan normally parks in his driveway, but happened to leave his car parked on the street overnight. According to the city's Department of Transportation, which posted the sign, the "No Parking" regulation has been in effect at the corner of Sunfield since 1983, though it's unclear how long the sign had been missing.