NYC Moves to Restrict Parking For Residents Only

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Should New York City Reserve Parking Spots for Residents Only?

 

On the Upper West Side, commuters sometimes grab parking spots that residents covet. Credit Cassandra Giraldo for The New York Times

By Winnie Hu and Corey Kilgannon

April 24, 2018

One after another, the cars with out-of-state license plates roll off the George Washington Bridge into Pedro Richiez’s neighborhood in northern Manhattan. They circle the blocks. They nab parking spots as soon as they open up.

“It’s been getting worse over the years,” said Mr. Richiez, 50, a building superintendent, as he sat in his blue minivan on West 176th Street for two hours on Tuesday waiting for a parking spot. “All these outsiders driving in and parking in our neighborhood and then hopping on the subway downtown, instead of paying for a parking garage in Midtown.”

Now, some New Yorkers want to take back parking spots for neighborhood drivers — again. If there are some ideas that never seem to go away — congestion pricing anyone? — residents’ parking is surely one of them.

The idea is to relieve some of the parking pressure on city residents by reserving up to 80 percent of the coveted curbside spots in some neighborhoods for those with permits — and essentially declaring those parking places off limits to suburban commuters and tourists. While such residential parking permits are a mainstay around the country, including in Boston, Washington and Chicago, the system has never advanced in New York City despite repeated attempts over the years — in part because it would require state approval.

This time, enthusiasm for the proposal has spurred not one, but two separate City Council bills, both of which are to be introduced Wednesday. Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who represents Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill and is the chairman of the Council’s transportation committee, is calling for a citywide residential parking program. Three fellow Council members — Mark Levine, Helen Rosenthal and Keith Powers, all representing Manhattan districts — are proposing a more limited program for the borough, from 60th Street to Manhattan’s northern tip, on both the East and West sides.

“This has always been popular with residents,” said Mr. Levine, a Democrat whose district includes Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights. “And their frustration now is boiling over.”

Mr. Levine added that he has received more complaints in recent years from residents who are increasingly competing for free curbside parking with commuters from New Jersey and Westchester County. “For one reason or another, they are dumping their cars uptown and that’s crowding out neighborhood residents,” he said.

Both bills, if approved, would charge the city’s Department of Transportation with developing the details of a residential parking program — where and when the permits would be required, how much they would cost and any penalties for violations — with input from community boards and elected officials.Under the proposals, a residential permit system would exclude parking spots that are metered or in commercial zones used for deliveries. It would apply to residential streets, including side streets, at certain times such as rush hours.

Richard Weigel, waiting for a parking spot on Riverside Drive, lives in Kentucky but visits New York for weeks at a time.CreditVincent Tullo for The New York Times

A spokeswoman for Council Speaker Corey Johnson said the speaker was reviewing the bills. A spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio said the mayor would review the bills when they were introduced.

But state legislative leaders and city transportation officials emphasized that any residential parking program would still require the approval of the Legislature, though Mr. Levine said he believed the city had the authority to act without Albany. At least 20 localities, including Albany and Buffalo, have received state legislation authorizing some form of residential parking, but not New York City.

“We haven’t seen the details of the proposals and we would have to review the issue with our members,” said Michael Whyland, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx.

In 2011, the City Council pushed residential parking permits, spurred by concerns that the soon-to-open Barclays Center in Brooklyn would draw heavy traffic that would pose a danger to pedestrians, worsen pollution and make parking even more difficult to find. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s 2008 plan for congestion pricing also included residential parking permits. Neither effort got much traction in Albany.

Mr. Rodriguez said he has been talking to state legislators to build support for residential parking permits, and would also be looking at other legal options. He said he would be holding a hearing on the bills in the next few months. Both Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Levine said they would work together and viewed their separate bills going hand-in-hand to create a comprehensive parking policy for the city.

The proposals drew criticism from nonresidents like Oscar Lopez, 28, who drove his white BMW with New Jersey plates off the George Washington Bridge on Tuesday and immediately began looking for parking. “This is a public street, and if I spend an hour looking for a parking space, I have just as much right as anyone to have it,” he said.

Other drivers opposed what they saw as an effort by the city to regulate parking. Kevin Sacco, 66, a commercial artist in Morningside Heights who had parked in the neighborhood Tuesday, said that securing parking spots was a vital part of New Yorkers’ hustle, and government should not get involved.

Richard Weigel, 73, a retired history professor who lives in Kentucky but spends weeks at a time in Manhattan, said that finding one’s own parking space was a longstanding city tradition, “and I don’t see it working any other way.”

“I know some people feel that New Yorkers have more of a right to New York City parking spaces,” he said. “But New York thrives by having people who drive into the city to work, too.”

But Mr. Richiez, the building superintendent, said residential parking permits were just what neighborhood drivers needed. In fact, he and his neighbors have already begun to “team up” to keep parking local. One neighbor preparing to pull out will wait until another gets into position to take the spot.

“A lot of suburban areas have their own resident parking permits, so why can’t we have them in New York City,” he said. “Out-of-towners see my neighborhood as free parking in Manhattan. I say it should be kept for the locals.”

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/nyregion/should-new-york-city-reserve-parking-spots-for-residents-only.html

[Deucey]

Betcha the insurance market and DMV have a record year if they make the permits require NYS plates and NYC registration to avoid being towed.

[elantra06]

LMAO. Good luck with that.

[Deucey]

@elantra06 they do it elsewhere- SF has it and it works.

But just think of all the fees the city could make charging non-residents to park in residential areas overnight - by meters/apps or from tickets.

There’s your NYC contribution to ’s rescue plan.

[BreeddekalbL]

Why do I have a strange feeling this will end up in court over it's constitutional merit?

[Gotham Bus Co.]

6 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The proposals drew criticism from nonresidents like Oscar Lopez, 28, who drove his white BMW with New Jersey plates off the George Washington Bridge on Tuesday and immediately began looking for parking. “This is a public street, and if I spend an hour looking for a parking space, I have just as much right as anyone to have it,” he said.

 

Robert Moses would have said that the guy from Jersey has more rights on city streets than city residents do. He felt that cities are not entitled to their own viability but rather exist only to be conduits for suburban traffic.

[CenSin]

2 hours ago, Deucey said:

Betcha the insurance market and DMV have a record year if they make the permits require NYS plates and NYC registration to avoid being towed.

And those monies should be diverted to MTA capital projects.

[Deucey]

22 minutes ago, CenSin said:

And those monies should be diverted to MTA capital projects.

 

[Union Tpke]

This happens all the time in Kew Gardens.

[Italianstallion]

Really? How do these out-of-staters who supposedly park all day deal with alternate -side restrictions? Sounds fishy to me.

[Deucey]

2 hours ago, Italianstallion said:

Really? How do these out-of-staters who supposedly park all day deal with alternate -side restrictions? Sounds fishy to me.

4.5 years here and I never see CT or NJ plates on streets uptown. 

I do see FL, VA, MA, PA, SC, NC and GA plates overnights.

And even when I had my car I rocked the California tags from the day I got here til the day I sold it...

[Lance]

16 hours ago, Deucey said:

I do see FL, VA, MA, PA, SC, NC and GA plates overnights.

And even when I had my car I rocked the California tags from the day I got here til the day I sold it...

Some of those super-commuters I presume.

[B35 via Church]

Seriously now....

I'm not for the state vs state BS, but this is a weak answer to the BS NJ is pulling/trying to pull in Leonia & Weehawken...

[elantra06]

On 4/25/2018 at 7:37 PM, Deucey said:

@elantra06 they do it elsewhere- SF has it and it works.

But just think of all the fees the city could make charging non-residents to park in residential areas overnight - by meters/apps or from tickets.

There’s your NYC contribution to ’s rescue plan.

Not my contribution lol. I park in the trains yards so I don't have to worry about street parking.

[INDman]

On 4/27/2018 at 9:04 PM, Deucey said:

4.5 years here and I never see CT or NJ plates on streets uptown. 

I do see FL, VA, MA, PA, SC, NC and GA plates overnights.

And even when I had my car I rocked the California tags from the day I got here til the day I sold it...

I usually see plates from those states neat NYCHA properties.

[itmaybeokay]

I'm not defending the practice, but it's not uncommon for residents with property in other states or relatives in other states to register and insure their cars in states with cheaper rates. 

[rbrome]

The idea that anyone is entitled to free street parking in Manhattan (for more than 15 minutes of loading/unloading) is insane! It's car culture run amok. Our limited street space is way, way too valuable for that nonsense. Every block in the city should have 2-3 large loading/unloading zones, and any remaining street parking should be paid (24 hours), either by meter or by resident-only permit. A reasonable permit price would be about half of what a garage in that neighborhood charges. 

[Deucey]

31 minutes ago, rbrome said:

The idea that anyone is entitled to free street parking in Manhattan (for more than 15 minutes of loading/unloading) is insane! It's car culture run amok. Our limited street space is way, way too valuable for that nonsense. Every block in the city should have 2-3 large loading/unloading zones, and any remaining street parking should be paid (24 hours), either by meter or by resident-only permit. A reasonable permit price would be about half of what a garage in that neighborhood charges. 

That's a hot take. It's wrong.

The fact is, like everywhere else in the city and state, that if Parking is specifically not prohibited or restricted, it's available to anyone with a vehicle - since their vehicle registration fees paid for that parking space and road, in part or whole.

Thinking that parking is a privilege is some new-thought bullshit. Driving is a privilege; parking on a road tax dollars and registration fees paid for is a right that comes from that privilege. The fact you don't like it and think parking spaces should be reallocated or be subjected to restrictions is a political thought - one that anyone can agree or disagree with or litigate or legislate against.

But in no way is your idea, nor the actual reality of parking ability, insane.

[R68OnBroadway]

The way I see it, parking on residential streets (for residents and guests only that is) is fine, but I find it ridiculous to have parking on avenues and major streets south of 59th. Manhattan is too packed and has too much traffic to devote space on major roads with businesses for idled cars. We should have more loading zones also to reduce double-parking and bus lane blocking. 

The outer boroughs are a different story though.

[bobtehpanda]

9 hours ago, Deucey said:

That's a hot take. It's wrong.

The fact is, like everywhere else in the city and state, that if Parking is specifically not prohibited or restricted, it's available to anyone with a vehicle - since their vehicle registration fees paid for that parking space and road, in part or whole.

Thinking that parking is a privilege is some new-thought bullshit. Driving is a privilege; parking on a road tax dollars and registration fees paid for is a right that comes from that privilege. The fact you don't like it and think parking spaces should be reallocated or be subjected to restrictions is a political thought - one that anyone can agree or disagree with or litigate or legislate against.

But in no way is your idea, nor the actual reality of parking ability, insane.

Street parking is a concept barely 100 years old at this point. No one was parking their horse and buggy on the street, because you weren't supposed to store your crap on the street!

==========

In regards to the actual idea, permits should be non-transferable and issued to any existing residents. New residents have to pay the meter.

[Deucey]

6 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

Street parking is a concept barely 100 years old at this point. No one was parking their horse and buggy on the street, because you weren't supposed to store your crap on the street!

People also lived in single story houses, or two story houses, along with barns, not 16-story co-ops or Flex-2s in Bed-Stuy...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

40 minutes ago, Deucey said:

People also lived in single story houses, or two story houses, along with barns, not 16-story co-ops or Flex-2s in Bed-Stuy...

What in the hell is a Flex-2?? When I think of Bed-Stuy, I think of brownstones or apartment buildings...

[Deucey]

19 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

What in the hell is a Flex-2?? When I think of Bed-Stuy, I think of brownstones or apartment buildings...

Flex Apts are Apts that can have a space - like a living room, converted to a legal bedroom. Like oversized living rooms or larger closets with windows.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

10 minutes ago, Deucey said:

Flex Apts are Apts that can have a space - like a living room, converted to a legal bedroom. Like oversized living rooms or larger closets with windows.

Oh God. They're doing that crap there too? That's like my friend from college... Years ago, he showed me his apartment in East Williamsburg (basically Bushwick).  He was paying $1400 a month (yes $1400 a month) for what was really a one bedroom with some sort of divider up making it supposedly a two bedroom. I was like dude, there is no way in hell I am moving in here. At that time we had just graduated and were considering moving in together to keep our rent expenses low, but that place wasn't even worth $1400 for a one bedroom, let alone splitting it.  For $200 more at that time (~10 years ago) I could have a one bedroom to myself in a much nicer area.

[B35 via Church]

56 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

What in the hell is a Flex-2?? When I think of Bed-Stuy, I think of brownstones or apartment buildings...

Lol... If you've ever heard the term "convertible apartment", it's the same thing....

26 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Oh God. They're doing that crap there too? That's like my friend from college... Years ago, he showed me his apartment in East Williamsburg (basically Bushwick).  He was paying $1400 a month (yes $1400 a month) for what was really a one bedroom with some sort of divider up making it supposedly a two bedroom. I was like dude, there is no way in hell I am moving in here. At that time we had just graduated and were considering moving in together to keep our rent expenses low, but that place wasn't even worth $1400 for a one bedroom, let alone splitting it.  For $200 more at that time (~10 years ago) I could have a one bedroom to myself in a much nicer area.

Yup.... not just a Manhattan thing anymore in this city... Gentrifiers will maximize their minimalist ways however they can....

I haven't worked in a cubicle in years & I'll be damned if I come home to one !