New York, NY – City officials want a widespread expansion of a pilot program where parking-meter rates are dramatically raised depending on where and what time a motorist is hunting for a spot, sources said yesterday.
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The plan comes a day after Mayor Bloomberg revealed his budget for next fiscal year, which includes hiking rates at more than 60,000 Muni and single-space meters from 75 cents to $1 per hour in residential areas and from $2.50 to $3 in commercial zones.
Under the new proposal, the price to park would be higher during the busiest times at certain locations around the city — with the intention to bring metered rates more in line with the demands of the consumer market.
Currently, a driver can park for several hours in a metered spot for only a few dollars, while a nearby parking garage may cost 10 to 20 times as much.
It’s not clear how high rates would rise and when they would go into effect, and sources said different prices could be charged in different sections of the city.
Drivers were fuming at the idea.
“I’m absolutely outraged,” said Cynthia Santiago, 23, who works in the West Village. “Parking in New York is unbelievable.”
Drivers said it’s just another way for the city to nickel-and-dime taxpayers. “It’s a rip-off,” said Alecsey Boldeskul, 39, of Brooklyn. “The city needs to close a gap in the budget and one way to do it is raise parking prices. Mayor Bloomberg should leave drivers alone.”
The city recently completed a pilot program to increase meter rates in three neighborhoods — the West Village, Park Slope in Brooklyn and the Upper East Side — in an attempt to free up parking spaces near businesses.
Last year, 71 Muni Meters in the West Village were permanently changed to $3.75 per hour from noon to 4 p.m., and $2.50 per hour at other times.
“Parking-space occupancy declined from 77 percent to 71 percent on Tuesdays and from 75 percent to 69 percent on Fridays during the noon-to-4 p.m. period,” a final study found.
Also, the number of drivers who parked for less than one hour increased from 48 percent to 60 percent.
More than half of the business owners and drivers in the area said parking became easier once the more expensive pilot program went into effect.
That will likely act as the blueprint for expanding the higher rates to Midtown and other neighborhoods, sources said.
In Park Slope, meter rates went to $1.50 per hour from noon to 4 p.m. and 75 cents per hour at all other times. On the Upper East Side, meter rates were hiked to $3.75 per hour during those peak times and were $2.50 per hour all other times.
More ‘change’ a-comin’
* 25-cent increase per hour for parking and Muni meters in residential areas around city
* Plans to expand pilot program where rates are increased at peak hours in some neighborhoods. For instance:
West Village and Upper East Side: $3.75/hr. from noon-4 p.m., otherwise $2.50 Park Slope: $1.50/hr. from noon-4 p.m., otherwise 75 cents
* Idea is to discourage motorists from hogging spots near businesses
and yet there is no charge to park a bicycle even tho the city has placed bike racks and bike shelters around at a cost to taxpayers.
everything comes free to the bikers.
no charges, no responsibilities.
NO FAIR!
I want to cry. This Mayor will take our last quarters out of our pockets. He’s heartless!
Let’s give the mayor a knickname “Ruthless” like Koch started with “Hizzoner”, let us start a movement to refer to the mayor as ruthless, hope it catches on…
This is a great system and is already used in several major European cities. In upscale areas like willy and BP, charging at least 3 or 4 dollars an hours for meter parking would increase the parking space turnover and make it more difficult for some to monopolize the few available parking spaces.
This ridiculous idea has nothing to do with revenue from increased rates. It is only to facilitate the issuing of tickets and collect that additional revenue. Bloomberg has the idea that there is not enough crime to balance the city budget, so let’s make normal living more restrictive, with more violations of those restrictions. Voila! penalize the poor citizens of NYC.
Think it is bad in New York try London on street is between $5.28 and $7.04 an hour.
The meter maids when they see you have 5 or 10 minutes left they wait to tag your car. In the time you go to get a ticket to pay they can tag and even tow your car which means it will cost you $288 to get it back. Also in London there is a ticket for feeding the meter; that is say it is a 4 hour zone and you park and paid for 1 hour
but you need another 30 minutes so you add more money; not in London that is a $96
ticket. Sodon could learn from parking in London