Concrete Jungle: Overgrown Weeds Take Over Staten Island Streets, Sidewalks
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Drivers and cyclists say getting around Staten Island is like navigating an obstacle course, because of neglected weeds.
They call New York City the "Concrete Jungle," but Staten Islanders say things have gotten a little too wild in their neck of the woods.
"This is unacceptable. We pay a lot of money in taxes to live on this island. They should keep this nice," one man said.
From Stapleton to Rosebank, Tottenville and Prince's Bay, you can't miss it, CBS2's Reena Roy reported. She spotted several locations of overgrown weeds and branches taking over bike lanes, sidewalks and bus stops along busy streets, like Hylan Boulevard and Arthur Kill Road – meaning bikers, joggers and bus riders have to use the street instead.
And it's not any easier for drivers. One Mosel Avenue road looked like a free-for-all, but push away the brush, and it turns out there are street signs.
"It's very dangerous," one driver said.
"It's crazy, I can't see anything," a woman added.
On Hylan Boulevard and Huguenot Avenue, it looked like Roy was in the middle of the woods. But she was actually on the sidewalk, where there are so many overgrown weeds you'd have to walk into the street to get by. You can also see plants in the bike lanes.
"A lot of times you'll see people walking and biking around it into the street, and they just stay there, and that's kind of dangerous because you have traffic coming both ways," local business owner Patrick Monachino said.
He said he's never seen it trimmed or maintained.
"The parks department should obviously be taking care of that," the woman said.
The parks department said the agency has not received any complaints about those locations, encouraging New Yorkers to call 311. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation said it will work to improve visibility and accessibility of city infrastructure.
The parks department also said trees are regularly trimmed roughly every seven years. Any branches that are a safety hazard or covering signs are considered a priority.
