‘Residents Only’ Parking Bill Approved by Committee

Every Crown Heights resident who doesn’t own a driveway or garage is familiar with the scene: Arriving home at last after a long day, only to end up circling the neighborhood looking for a parking spot for longer than it took to drive home. Today, a City Council committee voted to help end this situation. Opponents to the bill, however, say it will make it almost impossible to find parking when visiting elsewhere in the city, and is just another scheme for the city to increase ticket revenue.

From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

The City Council Committee on State and Federal Legislation voted yesterday in support of a measure that would allow NYC residential neighborhoods to designate up to 80 percent of their available parking as residents-only.

The bill has been introduced in Albany by state Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblymember Joan Millman, both of whom represent Downtown Brooklyn. They would let local community boards decide the issue and require that they hold a public hearing before implementing such parking restrictions.

Permit parking would not be allowed on commercial and metered streets. The bill would also mandate that some spaces be saved for those without permits.

The measure is being specifically considered in the context of the Barclays Center. Many residents see the 1,100 spaces slated to be built for the arena, which is scheduled to open in fall 2012, as inadequate. They seek to discourage people from parking in their neighborhood for arena events.

“People who come to our community should get a train or a bus in their community,” said one Fort Greene resident.

City Councilwoman Helen Foster, who represents parts of the south and west Bronx, described similar issues in her area with fans going to Yankees games.

“People park on sidewalks, at fire hydrants, in parks,” she said. “If I were a fan and I could park on the sidewalk, why would I pay $45 to park in a garage?”

Other area residents seek to end what they describe as the very common practice of treating Brooklyn as a park-and-ride stop.

“Commuters coming in from Long Island and elsewhere park [in Downtown Brooklyn] to take the train into the city,” said City Councilman Stephen Levin, who represents Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Williamsburg and nearby areas. “It’s a real problem.”

More Likely To Use Mass Transit

Many supporters expressed hopes that by designating parking as residents-only, event-goers will be more likely to take mass transit. This, they argue, will make the streets safer, the air cleaner, and will prevent hour-long parking waits.

Not everybody present was in favor of the measure, however.

Councilman Lewis Fidler, who represents Canarsie, Bergen Beach and Flatlands, said that, while he was open to the idea of a Residential Parking Permit (RPP) zone near the new Barclays Center, the legislation proposed by Squadron and Millman was too broad.

“It becomes an issue of the haves and have-nots,” he argued. “You may as well take over the wealthier neighborhoods and throw up a gate around them.”

Fidler argued that, by closing the neighborhood off to non-residents, the problem would only move farther down the train line.

Two spokespersons from the city Department of Transportation (DOT) also panned the measure. They argue that the legislation is too broad and will cost too much to administer. Arguing that the issue needs more research, they pointed to a DOT study on the issue, due to be completed in January.

The decision was supported by many of the neighborhood associations in and around Downtown Brooklyn, who framed the issue as one of home-rule versus government bureaucracy.

“Today’s proceedings are about sending a home-rule message,” said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association. “The bills incentivize the use of mass transit and make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Crownheights.info’s report on the original story can be read here.