New York – Council Members David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) and Daniel Dromm (D-Queens) have introduced bills that would create as many as 100,000 new parking spots in New York City and save New Yorkers from thousands of parking tickets.
Last week, Greenfield introduced legislation that would curb tickets in New York City by painting the curbs near all of New York’s 109,800 fire hydrants red. Dromm introduced legislation that would decrease the distance drivers need to leave when parking near a fire hydrant from 15 feet to 10 feet.
Greenfield’s legislation, already supported by over half a dozen of his colleagues, would require the City to paint the curbs adjacent to fire hydrants red to the exact length that drivers are prohibited from parking near a hydrant.
“These are common sense solutions to everyday problems,” said Councilman Greenfield. “Drivers shouldn’t have to keep a tape measure in their glove boxes to determine where they can park. Many drivers park far away from hydrants to avoid parking tickets and are unintentionally taking up several feet that could be used for an additonal parking spot. Others park too close, and incur the wrath of a traffic enforcement agent. Our legislation ensures that drivers, and traffic enforcement agents, have an easy way to follow New York’s complex parking laws.”
Dromm introduced a bill, which Greenfield is supporting, that would reduce the distance a car must be parked from a hydrant from 15 feet to 10 feet. Greenfield and Dromm are asking that these bills be considered jointly, to ensure that the City would not have to repaint curbs if Dromm’s legislation were passed subsequent to Greenfield’s.
“These two bills would create thousands of new parking spaces in New York City,” explained Councilman Dromm. “In fact, many other municipalities around the country have these rules and they work. It is rather surprising that New York has not adopted them.”
“The law requiring 15 feet of free space on each side of a fire hydrant was adopted to allow fire trucks to park directly in front of hydrants,” Dromm said. “However, fire trucks rarely take the time to parallel-park when responding to an emergency. An engine company will simply double-park in front of a hydrant and run a hose, making the 15 foot rule obsolete. Allowing for a 10 foot no parking zone on either side of the hydrant will ensure that first responders have adequate space for maneuvering their equipment, while allowing New York City more space to meet ever-growing demand for street-side parking.”