Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Eyes on the Street

Here They Are: Meet Some of NYC’s Worst Sidewalk Hogs

Manetta’s Restaurant in Long Island City. Care for a nice pinot noir and some tailpipe exhaust with your entrée? Photo: ##https://twitter.com/alter_spaces/status/487685561558519808/photo/1##@alter_spaces##
Manetta’s Restaurant in Long Island City. Care for a nice pinot noir and some tailpipe exhaust with your entrée? Photo: @alter_spaces
Manetta’s Restaurant in Long Island City. Care for a nice pinot noir and some tailpipe exhaust with your entrée? Photo: ##https://twitter.com/alter_spaces/status/487685561558519808/photo/1##@alter_spaces##

We asked for photos of NYC's worst sidewalk-hogging businesses, and readers responded.

We relaxed our guidelines a little to make room for government agencies. In the arena of public institutions that show no respect for people on foot, the United States Postal Service and employees of Metro-North in Harlem deserve special recognition.

More from LIC, where pedestrian safety is clearly not a priority for USPS, which seems to be using the sidewalk on 28th Street in Dutch Kills as a loading dock. Photo: ##https://twitter.com/DutchLic/status/486331011131654144/photo/1##@DutchLic##
Pedestrian safety is clearly not a priority for USPS, which seems to be using the sidewalk on 28th Street in Dutch Kills as a loading dock. Photo: @DutchLic
More from LIC, where pedestrian safety is clearly not a priority for USPS, which seems to be using the sidewalk on 28th Street in Dutch Kills as a loading dock. Photo: ##https://twitter.com/DutchLic/status/486331011131654144/photo/1##@DutchLic##

Not surprisingly, car-related businesses were a major force. To the car rental firms on the Upper West Side and car dealers in the Bronx, we salute your complete indifference to people who expect to use sidewalks for walking.

And a special shout-out goes to Manetta's Restaurant in Long Island City, where the linguine nere comes with a side of valet combat parking.

You'll notice that several of our winners have violated the law for years in full view of NYPD, which itself may be the city's most notorious usurper of public space for vehicle storage.

Thanks to all who participated in our search. Everyone whose photo appeared on the blog will get a Streetfilms DVD.

Bonus points to Metro-North employees for leaving residents absolutely no space on ##https://twitter.com/hessmatthias/status/460741716849741825##this Harlem sidewalk##. ##https://twitter.com/HessMatthias/status/487613495790542848##Matthias Hess## says this is a “longtime problem” in the neighborhood.
Bonus points to Metro-North employees for leaving residents absolutely no space on this Harlem sidewalk. Matthias Hess says this is a “longtime problem” in the neighborhood.
Bonus points to Metro-North employees for leaving residents absolutely no space on ##https://twitter.com/hessmatthias/status/460741716849741825##this Harlem sidewalk##. ##https://twitter.com/HessMatthias/status/487613495790542848##Matthias Hess## says this is a “longtime problem” in the neighborhood.
Per ##https://twitter.com/urbanresidue/status/486653899160293376##@urbanresidue##, NYPD says no action is necessary on Cambreleng Avenue in the Bronx, where car dealers have commandeered the sidewalk for years. Image: Google Maps
Per @urbanresidue, NYPD says no action is necessary on Cambreleng Avenue in the Bronx, where car dealers have commandeered the sidewalk for years. Image: Google Maps
Per ##https://twitter.com/urbanresidue/status/486653899160293376##@urbanresidue##, NYPD says no action is necessary on Cambreleng Avenue in the Bronx, where car dealers have commandeered the sidewalk for years. Image: Google Maps
Another persistent violator: car rental outlets and garages on W. 83rd Street in Manhattan, which ##https://twitter.com/kencoughlin/status/485457059551260672/photo/1##Ken Coughlin## describes as an “incessant pedestrian slalom.”
Another persistent violator: car rental outlets and garages on W. 83rd Street in Manhattan, which Ken Coughlin describes as an “incessant pedestrian slalom.”
Another persistent violator: car rental outlets and garages on W. 83rd Street in Manhattan, which ##https://twitter.com/kencoughlin/status/485457059551260672/photo/1##Ken Coughlin## describes as an “incessant pedestrian slalom.”

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hired Actors, Paid Media: Big Tech Has Already Dumped $8M Into Hochul’s Car Insurance Ploy

Buckets of cash and ads with professional actors are boosting Uber and Hochul's cause.

March 13, 2026

Claire Valdez: In Congress, I Will Fight For Transit and Bike Lanes

One of three leading candidates to succeed Rep. Nydia Velazquez shares her vision for how members of Congress can improve transportation.

March 13, 2026

Friday’s Headlines: Close the GAP Edition

It's past time for the Department of Transportation to connect Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza. Plus the news.

March 13, 2026

Cement Truck Driver Kills Cyclist On Treacherous Borough Park Stretch

A senior cement truck driver struck and killed a cyclist on a notoriously dangerous Borough Park avenue on Wednesday.

March 12, 2026

MTA Demands Albany Deal With Toll Evasion Already

A new analysis of toll evasion found that the amount of money owed by drivers who don't pay paper toll invoices has more than doubled since 2022, from $147 million in unpaid tolls to nearly $350 million.

March 12, 2026

Hochul’s Car Insurance Plan Blows Fraud Way Out Of Proportion: Stats

Gov. Hochul's proposal to lower car insurance premiums is built on suspected fraud. But a body of evidence reveals that there really is very little.

March 12, 2026
See all posts