State Senate Proposes Parking Permits for NYC

By Matis Glenn

Car owners in New York City might have to get permits to park in residential areas, under the State Senate’s one-house budget proposal set to be released this week.

The new law would require splitting parking spots in residential areas 80 to 20, with 80 percent of spots reserved for people who live in the area and hold permits to park there. Commercial zones would not have the same limitations, but might be regulated during certain times.

News of the proposal, floated several times in the past few years by city officials and community boards, was reported by Zack Fink of NY1 News on Monday.

Within the spots reserved for local residents, non-residents will be permitted to park for at least 90 minutes.

The proposal says that the rules would curb air pollution, by limiting car idling, circling blocks looking for a parking spot, and encourage alternate forms of transportation, such as cycling. Advocates of the measure, which has been implemented in cities such as Chicago, and Austin, say that it would streamline parking and let people park closer to home.

Details such as how large parking zones would be, date and time of when the rules would be in effect, the definitions of commercial and residential zones, and the cost of permits, would be up to the City Council to determine.

Fees would, however, be capped at $30 a month.

The proposal also leaves it up to the City Council to hold public hearings before adopting the new rules.

Revenue from the system, including from tickets given for violations, would be used to fund the MTA, which officials say is cash-strapped.

Some in the State Senate caution that the project is fraught with potential problems.

“As a homeowner in New York City for more than 30 years, having a spot in front of my house sounds great,” State Senator Simcha Felder told Hamodia. “But the devil is in the details, and government is notorious for ruining good things.”

Some City Councilmembers are unhappy with the proposal. Councilman Kalman Yeger told Hamodia that the move is “another Albany cash-grab,” and that “I don’t know anyone in city government who asked Albany for this.” Councilman Justin Brannan, responding to Fink’s report on social media, wrote “Umm we never asked for this.”

State Assemblymember Kenny Burgos of the Bronx said the move wasn’t practical. “This is not even remotely feasible in 95% of neighborhoods in NYC,” Burgos wrote on social media.

Yedidyah, a Midwood resident, says parking for people without driveways is “hard enough as it is, between the volume of cars, alternate side regulations…It would just be an added expense.”