Manhattan, NY – New Yorkers blessed and cursed with cars have learned that there are few things more frustrating than trying to find street parking. Yet, in front of some of the city’s priciest apartment buildings, often on the Upper East Side, there seems to be an abundance of spaces that drivers are not taking.
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These are, almost invariably, directly in front of building entrances, and are notated by a sign mounted on a brass stand that politely asks drivers not to park in front of their buildings. This makes it easier for residents and guests to come and go from cabs, cars and Escalades, but officially, it is legal for anyone to park there.
For the record, Monty Dean, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Transportation, said it was illegal for “any person to reserve or attempt to reserve a parking space, or prevent any vehicle from parking on a public street.” The law prevents New Yorkers from standing in the street, using “hand signals” or putting “any box, can, crate, handcart, dolly or any other device, including unauthorized pavement, curb or street markings or signs,” to keep drivers away, he said, though a sign on the sidewalk did not violate this law (but it could run afoul of sanitation laws).
But there are laws and then there are rules of the Upper East Side. Joseph Freer, a computer consultant, said he often parked in these spaces, ignoring the curb signs and, in some cases, the extended yellow lines some buildings paint near fire hydrants to keep parkers away. (Drivers can legally park 15 feet from a hydrant.)
But when he is visiting a client in one of these buildings, he rarely parks directly in front because he fears doormen will punish him by making him carry computer equipment through the service entrance.
“A lot of times, you just want to keep a good working relationship with the building,” he said. Fighting over these spaces is “not something that you want to get into.”
Indeed, the gaping spaces in front of building entrances are a testament to any number of New Yorkers’ fears: of confrontation, of colluding tow truck drivers, of the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the residents of these buildings have the power to legally bar anyone else from parking there.
So one afternoon last week, the Appraisal tried to find out what happens when one tries to park where the brass stands admonish against it.
Many buildings had no room for the Appraisal’s 2006 blue Chevy Malibu, with cars on either side of the entrance leaving just a few feet for residents to pass through. But when a large enough space appeared, it became clear that this turf battle would not always be easy.
At the Knickerbocker, at 308 East 72nd Street, where condos are selling for $895,000 to $2.5 million, a doorman warned that parking in front of the building was illegal. He pointed to a nearby city sign that said, “No Standing Anytime. Temporary Construction.” Touché.
But like most city parking signs, this one made it unclear where the red zone actually began, and at least two other cars were parked between the sign and the building. The doorman offered to try to find another space nearby, but the Appraisal had other places to go.
When the Chevy parked in front of 944 Park Avenue, where condominiums are selling for $8.75 million to $18 million, a cheerful doorman named Charlie said that even though the building had a sign asking people not to park there, it was indeed “legal” and that doormen “don’t bother anybody in the street.”
The doorman was so diplomatic about the pressures of keeping spaces open for residents that the Appraisal moved and almost felt bad about the whole exercise.
The building at 1025 Fifth Avenue was something of a trick question. Until 7 p.m., parking was actually illegal on this stretch of the avenue, to provide an extra lane of traffic for all the cabs, city buses and tour buses. So the Appraisal parked in front of the building and then walked to the corner to see who would arrive first, the lawman or the doorman.
The doorman soon emerged, and placed the building’s heavy sign in front of the driver’s door. Was he trying to make sure the sign was not obscured, or was he making a statement?
Maybe both. “We have about 160 apartments, and you are inconveniencing them,” he said, “and we have a lot of elderly people,” a point well taken. He also concluded that the Appraisal “must not be from here.” His colleague chimed in that cars in front of the entrance made it tougher to hail cabs.
The award for the best-guarded legal parking space goes to 55 East End Avenue. When the Appraisal began pulling in, a broad-shouldered doorman came out to stop the car. When the Appraisal politely asked about parking, he said that elderly people lived there and that parking was not allowed.
But when the Appraisal made it clear the intent was to park in the space, the doorman lifted his metal “no parking” sign into the street to stop the car from parking. When the Appraisal explained that this was for an article, asked for his name and began snapping pictures of him, he responded hostilely with an expletive and added:
“That’s what it is.”
The Appraisal drove off.
Not only the East Side. Two years ago on Thanksgiving eve, after spending 45 minutes looking for parking, I parked in front of the Trump building on 70 street off of Riverside. A doorman told me I couldn’t park there. I told him I could and would. He replied about all the old people who live in the building. I pointed out they could walk to the corner like anyone else in N.Y.C. The next statement was that he could not help if someone did something to my car while it was parked there. I took his first name and assured him that since his camera was on I was sure it would catch any hooligan. I offered to move my car if the building would pay for a garage, but that was not his idea. When he told me he would call the police I assured him that was fine, since I was a former Assistant D.A and knew the precinct commander (who I didn’t since I was in a Bronx D.A). When I picked up my car the next day another doorman told me what a hard time he had because of me. I shrugged my shoulders and wished him a lovely day. Since that day they park two cars on each side of the entrance making sure that their walkway remains clear. Ah, the pleasures of owning a car in Manhattan.
The writer sounds like a communist. The chashuve menchen who live in these buildings have worked hard to get there. They deserve the perks that go along with such residences including the reserved parking by the front door. The writer simply wants to incite more Obama style class warfare.
It is not just on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, that the illegal “No Parking” signs exist. Last year, I drove into Manhattan and attempted to park on the street in the financial area. I drove around for over 30 minutes in an attempt to park. I saw dozens of “No Parking” and “No Standing” signs on every block. I had my suspicions if those signs were legal and authorized New York City governmental traffic signs, or if they were placed in their various locations for the convenience of the property owners. In some cases, the restrictions were vague. Since I didn’t want my rented car to be towed away or damaged, I opted to park in an underground parking garage near the Battery. The charge was over $25.00 for three hours. If that wasn’t bad enough, the rest room facilities in that garage were abominable. If NYC is anxious to attract tourists, it should do something about the latter.
In Forest Hills, I came across a ‘no parking’ sign along with two wooden horses in the street, yesterday! (I moved one horse to permit me to park my car, left 2 PBA cards in my window, to discourage vandalism, plus i wrote a note and left it in the window indicating I’d be out of the spot in 40 minutes… and hoped for the best.
I just move the sign and if they say anything I tell them I will call 311 or 911 and then they can get a big fine from the city.
If they say elderly people live here or I am inconveniencing the tenants? I tell the I need to see an signed oath, that the tenants of this building do not park in front of any apartment building I will not park in front of here.
Never had trouble. One time a woman told me to move she lives there. I asked her her if she parks in front of any apartment building without doorman or poorer areas. She walked away
I have a friend in BP. He doesn’t have a car but rents a car fairly often. People block his driveway all the time even overnight even when he has a rented car standing in his driveway. These people feel they own his driveway and they argue and negotiate with him that since he doesn’t have a car in his driveway at all times they have a right to block his driveway. He is a good natured person and he feels that calling the police will be snitching the police on them and he doesn’t want to do that. I told him many times to call the police but he won’t. He is afraid they will damage his house if he does. I just can’t believe the chuzpah of these people.