ASTORIA — A road that runs along the water on the edge of Astoria Park has become a "nightclub," residents say, where partygoers dance, drink alcohol, and smoke pot while playing loud music from their car stereos into the wee hours of the morning.
The problem on Shore Boulevard, which stretches from the southern end of Astoria Park to Ditmars Boulevard, has become so bad that cops were looking to shut down parts of the street at one point but the Department of Transportation refused, according to Capt. Frank Tarantola, the executive officer of the 114th Precinct.
Now cops are asking the DOT to impose "no standing" rules on the road from midnight to 6 a.m. Right now, there are no-standing regulations only on one side of the street. The other has alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules.
Joe Windisch, 40, who lives near to the park, said the situation had gotten worse since last summer with partygoers putting speakers on the sidewalk and playing music so loudly that it sounds "like a club."
"There are people dancing on the street. They smoke weed. Everybody is drinking. There was even a couple having sex in the park," he said. "This is ridiculous."
Shore Boulevard has become a hangout because of its secluded location and sweeping night views of the Hell Gate and Triboro bridges, residents said. But the street is not secluded enough however, for the noise made by revelers to go unnoticed.
Windisch also said the music is so loud that even after he closes his windows and turns on the air conditioner, he "can still hear it and can’t go to sleep."
Residents said the problem is particularly severe on weekend nights but also occasionally bothers them during the week.
"There is always something going on there," said Pete Maloney, 59, who lives on Ditmars Boulevard, across from the park. "It’s a popular hangout. All motorcycle clubs go and race there."
Cops said they were aware of the problem and that they have directed patrols to the area. But oftentimes when patrols come, the partygoers simply turn the music off, cops said.
DOT officials said they would review any request from the NYPD or members of the community to assess traffic and parking regulations on Shore Boulevard.
