Religious Diversity Causes Parking Problems in Queens

March 29, 2004

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/29/nyregion/29flushing.html

On March 29, 2004 The New York Times reported, "There is a stretch of Flushing, Queens, where Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and Hindus worship within blocks of one another without a hint of sectarian strife. When it comes to parking spaces, though, it is all-out war. Every Sunday, a flood of cars descends on the neighborhood, thanks in large part to its dozens of newly built Korean churches. City law requires houses of worship to provide parking spaces for their parishioners if they have seating fixed to the floor, but many of the churches use folding chairs and are thus not covered by that rule. For years, residents have complained bitterly about that situation - and the ungodly noise, the crowds and the cars that often block their driveways. Korean Christians are not the only offenders: there are Hindu temples, mosques and Buddhist sanctuaries nearby, in what may be the most religiously diverse neighborhood on earth."