David Yassky

Residential Permit Parking - A Joint Community Plan 

            After years of listening to residents of the communities surrounding Downtown Brooklyn, and after researching residential permit parking plans in other cities in the United States, we are putting forth this residential permit parking plan. It is based on the unique situation in Downtown Brooklyn and the statistical information in the report by the Downtown Brooklyn Council Study, paid for by the NYC Department of Transportation.  The study revealed that over 46% of the on-street vehicles were commuters (after subtracting local residents who registered their cars elsewhere), demonstrating a clear need for a residential permit parking program and surpassing any standard established for it.

            The communities’ collective goal is not and has never been a guaranteed parking place. The goal remains to give residents a priority in the competition for available parking, so they can go about leading their lives.  Residential permit parking benefits all residents because it discourages people from searching for free parking, thus reducing congestion and making streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. A reduction in commuter parking would open up spaces for shoppers, visitors, and other short-term parking needs.

            Residential Permit Parking is one important method for controlling traffic congestion in the downtown area and with increased development and new efforts to plan for a sustainable New York City, RPP becomes an even more critical piece of the puzzle. We believe it should be implemented independently of any final decision on congestion pricing.

 

Proposed Program Specifics:

1. The regulation hours would between 7 AM. and 7 PM. Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays when government offices and most businesses are closed. (Hours could vary depending upon specific neighborhood conditions).  The regulations would only apply to non-metered parking.

2. Permits would be issued on an annual basis to anyone having proof of residency and proof of a car registered to that specific address. The charge for the permit should be nominal, no more than $30. If a household has more than one car, the fee for a second car should be $300. Any additional vehicles would be subject to a fee equal to the average market rate for garage parking.

3. Permits could be issued by whatever agency the administration chooses, provided it has locations that are readily accessible to neighborhood residents. Information systems should track registrations and visitor permits for accessing appropriate fees and for fraud prevention. Fines for parking beyond the two hour limit should be equivalent to current fines. Fine for fraudulent use of the system or use of fraudulent permits should start at $1000 and administration of fine collection should follow that used for parking tickets.

4. Visitors would be able to park for a maximum of two hours during the period when residential permit parking regulations are in effect (7 AM – 7PM).  There are also metered spaces available for short-term parking throughout these neighborhoods.  Better enforcement of metered parking would discourage on-street warehousing by car and limousine services. The extension (and strict enforcement) of the “No Authorized Permit Parking Zone” would prevent government employees from using meters for all day parking.

5. Temporary permits for residents’ use (i.e. ZipCar) and for overnight visitors could be issued to residents by the same office described in Paragraph #2. Temporary permits would be valid for a 3 day period and would display the dates and license plate numbers to prevent fraudulent use.

6. It is clear that without dedicated enforcement of residential permit parking, it will be pointless. Parking enforcement is, all too often, selective and targeted at the low hanging fruit while illegally parked cars with government placards are generally ignored. We suggest that discussions be held with the Traffic Enforcement arm of the New York City Police Department about the enforcement of residential permit parking.

7. Permits, both residential and government agency issued, should be recognized by the Department of Transportation. Ticketing and towing should be equally enforced against all violators, including government employees. The use of fraudulent agency permits should be subject to severe fines, and if a procedure for fining those individuals does not exist, one should be established. Both fraud enforcement and violation of the Residential Permit Parking regulations would bring significant revenue to support the Residential Permit Parking Pilot.

8. The purpose of a test period is to have a specified time during which the effects of the program can be demonstrated rather than surmised. A recent example was the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming study where pilot projects were established and eventually rejected or accepted as being of benefit or not.