NEW YORK [CBS] — If you park in Manhattan, be sure to have a few more quarters handy.
New York City is raising the rates on parking meters, and some drivers say the hike may drive them out of town.
Video – Manhattan Parking Rates to Rise
NEW YORK [CBS] — If you park in Manhattan, be sure to have a few more quarters handy.
New York City is raising the rates on parking meters, and some drivers say the hike may drive them out of town.
On the crowded streets of the city, parking can be a pain. Drivers say the city is adding insult to injury by asking them to pay more to park.
“I think the city needs to cut us some slack, I think. Definitely, it’s not good for the little people,” said Forest Hills resident Braulio Duran.
“I’m pretty unhappy about it. I’m pretty unhappy about spending 75 cents to park for 20 minutes,” added George Timko of the Lower East Side.
In some high-traffic areas of Manhattan, the city is raising parking meter rates from $2 an hour to $2.50 an hour for commercial and non-commercial vehicles.
By raising the rate, the Department of Transportation projects the city will make an additional $12 million in revenue in the next fiscal year.
But that’s no consolation to drivers.
“What do they need to raise it? Parking spaces worth more than they were yesterday? No!” Midtown employee Ray Samanich said.
As many as 1,500 non-commercial meters below 86th Street, river to river will be affected, as well as a combination of commercial and non-commercial meters between 14th and 60th streets from Second to Ninth avenues.
Commercial truck driver Joseph Tan said it will cost him $1,200 more a year to park and do business in Manhattan. He said he believes the rate hike might back fire on New York.
“That mean more company move out. They leave New York State, ’cause it’s not easy to do business in New York,” Tan said.
“It’s terrible. It’s terrible for New York. Things are so tough. It’s terrible,” fire alarm inspector Ian Sands added.
You can still park for a couple bucks an hour in some areas. The increased rate will be phased in over the next few months and completed by the end of June.
The combined revenue from parking and ticket and towing fees brings the city more than $1 billion a year.