‘No standing’ traffic rule irks Flatbush Ave. businesses

The city's pilot traffic relief program, dubbed Clear Curb, has riled business owners in its first two weeks.
The new rules prohibit roadside standing between 7 and 10 a.m. and again between 4 and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday on Flatbush Avenue from Grand Army Plaza to Tillary Street. Restaurants and other commercial establishments say those hours are prime delivery times.
That means delivery trucks can't idle on the side of the road during those hours as they drop off food or other goods to local businesses. 
The owner of Burrito Bar and Kitchen says he needs six deliveries every morning -- and the new restrictions have forced him to rearrange the schedule.
Truck drivers say the new rules make their jobs harder too.
And enforcement has been ruthless, according to neighborhood business owners, with dozens of NYPD squad cars and tow trucks in the area.
Even the director of the neighborhood's Business Improvement District says it's overkill.
But some businesses support the Clear Curb program. 
"You have definitely eliminated the traffic," says Johnny Illianich, who owns the Flatbush Ave. Hair Salon.
The pilot program will run for six months before the city decides if it should be permanent.