Curbing Illegal Curb Cuts by Targeting Self-Certification
Brooklyn’s “paving wars” may yet come to a peaceful end, but not without striking a blow to the practice of self-certification. A number of City Council Members—including Vincent Gentile, Letitia James and Domenic Recchia, Jr.—have co-signed bills aimed at limiting curb cuts (whereby front yards are turned into parking spaces). The bills (here, here, and…
Brooklyn’s “paving wars” may yet come to a peaceful end, but not without striking a blow to the practice of self-certification. A number of City Council Members—including Vincent Gentile, Letitia James and Domenic Recchia, Jr.—have co-signed bills aimed at limiting curb cuts (whereby front yards are turned into parking spaces). The bills (here, here, and here), which are currently being considered by several community boards (CB9, for example, voted in favor of the legislation a week and a half ago), would not only require homeowners to correct curb cuts constructed without a DOB permit, they’d also make it impossible to use self-certification to create curb cuts. The Brooklyn Streets, Carroll Gardens blog sees the change as a good first step for killing self-certification completely: Intro 619 would limit [self-certification] to exclude curb cuts. I would eliminate it altogether and put an end to self-certification once and for all. Chalk it up as one more miserable failure from the hand of Rudy Giuliani. Think the curb-cutting bills could be the beginning of the end for self-certification?
Curb Cutting Spreading in Carroll Gardens [Brownstoner]
Not in My Front Yard? [Brownstoner]
Council Tries to Clamp Down on Self-Certifiers [Brownstoner]
Ending Illegal Curb Cuts, and Self-Certification [BSCG]
Intro 619, Intro 639, Intro 620 [NYC Council]
“I like what the owners have done with their driveway gardens”
Yes – of course you do!, how can anyone not like poured concrete driveways?
From my perspective, anyone who owns a car in the city should NOT feel entitled to free street parking.
I don’t really care if the property owners cut their curbs- it’s their front yard. If you’ve got a car in the city, it would be nice if you found an off-street place for it too. I don’t care if it costs you a lot of money– you’ve got a FREAKING car in the city, so if you’ve registered it properly, you’re already paying through your ass for insurance and for gas. If you’re keeping your out of state plates, and paying insurance back where some relative lives, then you should be given a ticket and/or put in jail.
Wouldn’t it be really refreshing if people thought; “It’s really hard to park in the city, I shouldn’t have a car”
So is it just about the fact that it eliminates street parking? I’ve been on blocks like this- I live down the block from Park Place and 6th Ave where there are a lot of curb cuts. I really like that there are fewer cars trying to park on the street, and I like what the owners have done with their driveway gardens.
It’s not about regulating what people do with their property, it’s about the city having the say over what happens on public streets. Having a curb cut is tantamount to having a private parking space at the curb in front of one’s house, since no one else has a fair shot at parking there.
Ever been on a block with lots of curb cuts? As a visitor, it’s impossible to park on the street at all. I have seen curb cuts so close that they actually eliminate any off street parking. Throw in a few fire hydrants and that finishes it. The only cars on the street are the curb cut owners 2nd cars that they park in their own no-parking zones.
You’re trying to legislate what people use their front yards for? Not being coy, but what’s the argument against curb cuts? I’ve just never heard it articulated. I only hear ‘curb cuts’ mentioned in the same tone as ‘alumiminum siding’ and ‘fedders’. Is it an aesthetic thing? Policy? What?
People are way too excited about this issue. It’s just not that important. The argument against curb cutting is that people can’t park their own cars where the curb cut is. Boo hoo. Your still trying to park a car at the end of the day.
How about allowing curb cuts, but not allowing street parking anywhere?
The process before self-certification was worse — not enough inspectors, and delays in inspections were really expensive. The building inspectors knew this, and so bribery was rampant — pretty disgusting all around.