COMMUNITY WATCHDOG: He's getting his old car's tickets

I sold my 1993 Honda five years ago. Since that time, I have received notices for parking tickets with penalties amounting to hundreds of dollars. The person I sold it to apparently didn't register the car and the plates on the car were not valid, so I am the last owner of record. I've been to Nassau traffic court several times. I hired a lawyer who told me all the tickets were dismissed on Jan. 28, 2008, but I'm still getting notices from a collection agency that I owe more than $600. My lawyer isn't available because he was arrested on charges of mortgage fraud. Please help me unravel this mess.

-Tom Leggiere, Port Jefferson Station

John G. Marks, executive director of the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency in Hempstead, spent a good chunk of time trying to determine why only 22 of the 32 tickets slapped on the car you sold were dismissed. We asked if it could've been an attorney error or a clerical mistake. "I don't want to point fingers at who did what," he answered. "I think it's more important that we get a fix rather than find fault."

To that end, he said, "I would suggest Mr. Leggiere take the time to come in [with all the appropriate documents, including the bill of sale]. We'll sit and talk to him and resolve the issue."

Leggiere plans to see Marks tomorrow evening, one of the two days a week the agency is open late.

If you plan to sell a car to a private party, there are precautions to take so you don't end up in the same predicament as our reader.

Nick Cantiello, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, said the back of the car's title certificate must be signed by both parties so the buyer can register the car and get a new license plate. Once the title is signed over, it belongs to the buyer. But before you let the buyer take the car, be sure to scrape the old registration sticker from the windshield and remove the license plate, he said.

You should keep your signed bill of sale in a safe place, along with the receipt from Motor Vehicles for your license plate. If the car is ticketed, you can show them as proof that the vehicle was sold.

Stay tuned for what happens with Leggiere's tickets.
Syosset sidewalk's dangerous

There is a dangerous sidewalk in South Oyster Bay Road in Syosset. I've called the Town of Oyster Bay many times. Homeowners are technically responsible for the sidewalks, but they've done nothing to fix them. It's impossible to walk with a stroller, ride a bike, or take a jog, because certain parts stick up more than a foot out of the ground. I've been fighting for this for four years now.

- Cindy Valentine, Syosset

You can go for a stroll now, Mrs. Valentine. Following our inquiry, Nassau County's Department of Public Works replaced the crooked portion of sidewalk located between Market and Parkway drives in mid-March.

County officials said the project's slow completion was caused by several homeowners who did not comply with a demand notice sent in late 2008 informing them of their responsibility to repair the sidewalks abutting their backyards.

"Some responded by making repairs, most didn't," said county spokesman Michael Martino.

In the spring of 2009, the town sent a second notice to those homeowners who ignored the first notice, which stated that if they did not repair the sidewalks, the county would do the work and assess the costs to the homeowners.

Martino said that the project was further delayed due to the county's large workload in the summer and then unfavorable weather conditions late in the year.

Anyone with sidewalk problems on county roads in Nassau can contact the Department of Public Works at 516-571-9600.
U-turns won't be banned

In December, we wrote about Mark Flanzraich of New Hyde Park, who asked for a No U-turn sign on Hillside Avenue at the intersection of Devonshire Drive and Moore Street in Herricks.

Flanzraich said many motorists heading west on Hillside make U-turns to reach Herricks Cinema on the south side of the street despite a lack of room to properly do so.

The state's Department of Transportation initiated a traffic study to determine whether a sign or other traffic control was needed. Four months later, the verdict is in: Drivers may continue to make U-turns there.

"Restricting U-turns at this location would unnecessarily inconvenience motorists and require them to make that maneuver at a different location," said DOT spokeswoman Eileen Peters. "An inappropriately-placed control device can . . . exacerbate an existing situation."

The eastbound stretch of Hillside consists of two 11-foot-wide traffic lanes and an 8-foot shoulder that provide enough room for motorists to make a safe U-turn maneuver, Peters said. In addition, there are no vehicle accidents on record involving a U-turn at the intersection.

Federal Highway Administration spokesman Doug Hecox said a road width of 30 feet is "pretty generous" for U-turns and that there are no hard-and-fast rules regarding a minimum road width for U-turns.

Drivers concerned about traffic control devices on state roads can contact the DOT's Regional Traffic Engineering Office at 631-952-6020.