Rising Ticket Numbers for Illegal Parking Cone Usage
Last year, drivers in the city faced an unprecedented number of tickets for using traffic cones to secure parking spots, a practice that some critics say deserves a bit of understanding.
An analysis of city records indicates that the Department of Sanitation reported 533 violations related to traffic cones in 2025, alongside 311 complaints, which is a significant drop from the staggering 7,208 complaints received previously.
The citations, primarily issued in Queens, represented a nearly 6% rise from 2024’s count of 470 and marked an almost 900% surge from just 60 citations in 2022.
The debate over parking reached a boiling point last year when a mother and daughter were filmed attacking a college student with a trash can over a “reserved” spot in Ridgewood.
“People will park wherever they can,” lamented Rob Ennis, 51, from Glendale, Queens.
“My neighbors have their orange cones in places they shouldn’t. I’ve had my share of conflicts over legitimate parking spots,” he added.
JM, a 42-year-old from Ridgewood, mentioned hearing about locals using disabled walkers to save parking spaces and even contemplated using cones himself.
“I’ve seen it—there are cones everywhere when I drive around,” he shared.
Despite the cones, he noted, “it often takes nearly an hour to find a spot.” JM confessed that he sometimes resorts to parking in front of a fire hydrant. “I’ve lived here for three decades, but the congestion has really ramped up in the past ten years,” he mentioned.
Queens made up over 70% of the traffic cone violations issued in the city last year, with 380 of the total citations. Since 2020, of the 1,376 citations across the city, 1,000 were concentrated in Queens.
Local Councilwoman Joanne Arriola attributed the uptick in illegal parking to insufficient enforcement and a lack of available spaces due to bike lanes and parking regulations.
Alex, a 21-year-old driver in Queens, noted the humor in the situation, recognizing it’s been an ongoing issue for many years. Yet, he expressed understanding towards those who bend the rules.
“Finding parking is incredibly challenging here, so I get why people use cones,” he said.
Plumber Flori Casa, 33, had decided to take a stand regarding the situation. “I’m moving out, honestly,” he declared while parking on Forest Avenue.
“No one should be able to put a cone down to claim a space. I pay taxes, and while I can’t fault the people using cones, it makes it really tough for me to park,” he explained.
One resident recounted a tense moment with a woman trying to reserve a spot. “She insisted she was saving it. I told her I was parking there.” This standoff lasted an hour until they both relinquished their claims.
According to sanitation officials, cones placed on public property are categorized as illegal obstructions, and repeat offenders can face penalties with fines up to $200.
Yet, despite more than 25,000 complaints related to cones since 2020, only about 5% led to fines. A representative from the Sanitation Department explained, “To issue a citation, the owner of the cone must admit it’s theirs.” They follow up by speaking to homeowners; if someone claims the cone, a citation is issued for obstruction; if not, the cone is simply removed.
