DRIVERS have noticed that roughly 175 parking spots have been eliminated — in a city where people already feel like it’s impossible to find parking.
The NYC Department of Transportation quietly rolled out the new restrictions on August 11, posting signs that turned free stretches into paid metered zones.
Several streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue now have meters, according to the New York Post.
In all, 16 blocks from West 73rd Street to West 86th Street were affected, stripping residents of a long-standing perk of free overnight and daytime parking.
Now, drivers are forced to pay $5 for the first hour and $8.25 for the second through the ParkNYC app, which caps parking at just two hours.
The new rules apply from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Sunday —a drastic change from the old system that allowed cars to sit for free except during street cleaning times.
For many, the crackdown is the final straw in what they describe as New York’s “war on cars.”
“I, who live here and pay taxes and it’s my neighborhood, cannot park here now because they put those signs up,” said 64-year-old painter Abraham Pariente, who lives on West 72nd Street, according to the Post.
Pariente said he already spends two hours circling for a spot, a task that has grown more painful and time-consuming since drivers from New Jersey and Connecticut began leaving cars uptown to avoid congestion fees.
“The system is so stupid,” he raged. “Already people come from New Jersey and Connecticut, from all over . . . and they leave their cars here, so it’s impossible [to find parking].”
“The city is basically saying, ‘Listen, we don’t want you to use a car in New York City,’” Pariente added.
NYC resident, Tommy Truglio, said the city is punishing families who need cars to survive.
“The city is going about removing cars, they don’t want cars, so it’s straight taxation and nuisance they’re imposing,” Truglio told the Post.
With two small children, he said his family relies on their car — but parking has become a daily hindrance.
“It’s this advanced system of fining and ticketing – that’s all it is,” he said. “Owning a car in New York City has become an albatross. It’s just dangling around your neck.”
Even newcomers to the neighborhood are feeling the sting.
Are you covered by law to park on a public street?
Parking on a public street is generally legal, even in front of someone’s house, experts say.
Unless the home is in an HOA subdivision, an apartment complex with assigned spaces, or there are posted laws against parking during certain days or hours, it is not illegal to park a vehicle in front of someone’s home on a public street.
“Generally speaking, an individual citizen does not ‘own’ or have any ongoing exclusive right to use a parking space on a public street,” wrote Nolo Legal.
“These spaces are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
Most states do have rules against vehicles being parked in the same spot for 72 hours, or blocking fire hydrants, driveways, and sidewalks, as a parked vehicle in those spaces presents a safety hazard.
On Thursday morning, 26-year-old Sam Johnson returned to his rental car on West 73rd Street only to find a $65 ticket slapped on his windshield.
“That seems like a bit of a scam,” Johnson said, pointing to the new signs, according to the Post.
City officials insist the changes are part of the DOT’s “Smart Curbs” program, which they claim will free up space for deliveries, bike racks, and outdoor seating.
Emily Jacobi of Transportation Alternatives even declared in a DOT press release that “car parking is not the best use for our valuable curb space.”
“Space may seem scarce in New York City, but there’s miles of untapped potential at our curbs. It’s exciting to see DOT start tapping into that potential right here on the Upper West Side,” said Carl Mahaney, director of Open Plans’ Streetopia Upper West Side.
To furious drivers, however, it’s just one more way for the city to squeeze cash from New Yorkers who have no choice but to own a car.
