parking-permits-051509.jpgVarious State and City politicians joined forces on Friday to announce their commitment to bringing residential permit parking to Brooklyn Heights. Under a program supported by State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and Council Member David Yassky, neighborhood residents would be able to purchase an annual permit for a “nominal” fee that would allow them to park on residential streets; metered parking would still be available to the general public on the major commercial streets. This plan is a classic win-win-win: it protects the community, it cuts congestion, and it provides revenue for public transit, said Squadron. For years, I have supported a residential permit parking plan for New York City, said Yassky in a press release. The plan announced today will reduce congestion and illegal parking in our neighborhoods, and improve the quality of life for our residents. I continue to fully support that effort.
Parking Permit Proposal on Table [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Mayor Rolls Out Resident Parking Permit Proposal [Brownstoner]
Pols, DOT: Parking Permit Program For Many ‘Hoods [Brownstoner]


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  1. Having seen how it works in the SF Bay Area, I’m completely for this. I don’t have a car (we rent or Zipcar when we need to), and my concern is not pitting one group of drivers against another, but weighing convenience for a few against the real problem of traffic congestion in my neighborhood. The pollution and safety issues caused by too many people looking for a spot affects everyone. Policy should be determined by what best serves a neighborhood, not by what best serves commuters or car owners. That’s not “destroying” intra-city car usage – it’s holding down the problems caused by too-heavy usage to a more manageable level.

    I find it ironic that people on this board are blasting Millman and Yassky, when state senators like Carl Kruger bollixed up the MTA bailout with their completely car-centric, Robert Moses-era point of view. People have every right to own a car and drive it wherever (I love having a car, just don’t need one right now), but unlike public transit, commuting via car, whether you’re coming or going, has a very real and negative impact on the community and there’s no pretending it doesn’t.

    I understand that local stores can’t get by on just local residents, but letting all the cars pour in and then fight each other for spots isn’t working either. Nor is allowing major employers like Methodist Hospital (near me in park slope) to undergo huge expansions and then leave it to the surrounding streets to just absorb all the extra parking needs this creates.

    I’m assuming that they picked Brooklyn Heights, not Park Slope, to start with because almost every subway line connects there. The permit program to be implemented w/ congestion pricing was mainly for certain rush hour times, assuming the same will hold w/these permits.

    I think the fee should be higher than “nominal” because it’s going to public transit, and I absolutely think more money to improve public transit should come from drivers, in the hopes of funding better transit options than driving to work. Since part of my subway fare is going to pay for roads upstate (thanks Carl), it’s only fair.

  2. what an impractical idea for Brookly Heights, which has so many businesses and professional offices. So if you work in the Heights do you get a permit? How about if you have a home care attendant? How about apartment building employees that work late hours? How about people who need to see their doctor?
    Residential permits may be a good idea in solidly reidential neighborhoods but in a mixed-use area like Brooklyn Heights which is so full of stores, businesses, doctors offices, government offices etc. all with employees, it is just exclusionary and probably racist.
    The new BH signs should read: “Caucasian Only Parking”

  3. Paying a nominal fee to park on the street is the same as paying a fare to ride the subway. You don’t “own” your seat on the train when you sit in it after you pay your $2 fare anymore than you would “own” a parking spot on the street after you bought a permit. Fair is having to “pay to play” for a subway ride or parking permit.

  4. As others have said, other cities do it and it works well. It has nothing to do with elitism or bigotry, people who think that are ignorant and looking for drama where there is none.

    I lived in Boston for 8 years. It cost $1 to get a parking permit, and if I remember correct, it renewed for free.

    A lot of the people who park in the Heights park there and then take the subway in to Manhattan, they use the neighborhood as a park-n-ride. I don’t think that is fair to neighborhood residents.

    Every neighborhood in NYC should have residential permits.

  5. Actually, car drivers get something every day. They get to drive on City streets as much as they want without paying a dedicated fee, until they cross a tolled bridge or tunnel. Mass transit users get a subsidy, but they don’t get to ride at will without paying. In that sense, people without cars help subsidize the roads for those who do have them.

    In truth, every tax and every fee can be analyzed in terms of who subsidizes who. By focusing on one aspect without looking at the whole picture, it is easy to distort the argument. Why not just charge every NYer a $4 a day transportation fee, make parking, road use and the subways free and allocate the revenues among roads and mass transit.

  6. StuyIvy- according to the article the bill calls for a “nominal” fee. The taxes I was referring to are what we all pay that go to streets, roads and public transportation. My contention is that these are public streets. Just becuase you have a car shouldn’t give you the right to basically own a piece of it. Or will these parking permits be available to those of us who don’t have cars but have friends and family that travel to see us? What’s fair here?

  7. etson- you have totally confused me but at least we agree.:-)

    And I also see the anger and resentment over resident and non-resident. I guarantee there will be fights. It just boggles my mind the foolishness and craveness of politicians.

  8. Bxgrl – Have you read the bill? What taxes are you referring to? The bill states “monies generated by the sale of residential parking permits shall be credited to New York City Transit, an agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, State of New York, and shall be utilized for the purpose of upgrading and improving the New York City subway and bus system”.

    So drivers are actually paying the for public transportation that you use. If you don’t need a permit, you don’t pay.

  9. We have the same conclusion from completely different viewpoints, Bxgrl! I am a car owner (don’t live in BH) and oppose this. Don’t see how restricting parking ability is giving car owners a break. It’s not as if it creates more parking spaces, rather the opposite. Also, public transport is massively subsidized (rightly, in my opinion). So we do ‘get something’ for taking it – a discount on its real cost.

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