On-street parking on residential streets is free throughout New York City, which makes finding a place to park incredibly difficult in some neighborhoods, and provides an incentive for owning a vehicle. In a dense, congested city like New York, it seems counter-productive to allocate so much public space to cars without asking vehicle owners to pay at least something for it.
So far, efforts to implement a residential parking permit (RPP) program in New York have been thwarted despite advocates repeatedly calling for such a measure. But that doesn’t mean the conversation is over. Here are five reasons why the next Mayor should revisit the idea of an RPP program:
1. Everybody else is doing it. Certainly not the best reason to do something, but it’s worth noting that just about every other major American city has a residential parking permit program. Some of them even charge money for them. In Washington D.C. permits are just $35 a year for most vehicles registered in the District, while San Francisco, whose residential permits are the most expensive in the United States, charges $109 per year (30 cents per day). That’s still a bargain compared to what you’d pay for garage parking in New York City.
2. People are willing to pay for it. According to a recent study, about half of New Yorkers said they would be willing to pay $408 a year on average if it meant that finding parking near their homes would be easier.
3. It will reduce congestion. As Seinfeld‘s George Costanza famously said about parking, “Why should I pay, when if I apply myself, maybe I could get it for free?” Turns out, a lot of us are just like George. Drivers who are looking for somewhere to park account for 28 to 45 percent of traffic in places where on-street parking is under-priced (or in this case, free).
4. It will make streets safer. Because all those drivers who are “cruising” for a spot are preoccupied looking for an empty curbside space, they’re not really focused on pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles.
5. Because it makes sense. New York City has some of the most expensive real estate per square foot in the country, but for some reason the land right next to curbs is free. If a permit program were to be established for $20 a month (less than a fifth of the cost of a monthly unlimited MetroCard) and one million of the 1.8 million vehicles registered in the City purchased permits (even though there’s enough space for about four million vehicles in curbside spaces), the City would collect $240 million each year. RPP is also a progressive policy; in all but one State Assembly district in the City, vehicle-owning households earn at least 50 percent more than households without a vehicle. It would be especially progressive if revenue from parking permits were to be targeted toward transit upgrades and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
[…] A Five-Point Case for NYC Residential Parking Permits From Tri-State (MTR) […]
Why should real estate the size of a $1000/month NYC bedroom go for such a ridiculously low amount as $20 per month? Especially if “in all but one State Assembly district in the City, vehicle-owning households earn at least 50 percent more than households without a vehicle”?
OK, parking spaces have few of the amenities of an apartment, but anyone who can afford to keep a private car in the city can shell out at least a couple hundred a month. Garages run up to many times more than that, mostly just depending on the neighborhood.
Decades ago, before overnight parking was even allowed in the city, people couldn’t afford to keep private cars in the city…so they didn’t. The establishment of overnight parking suddenly enabled nearly anyone to keep a car in the city…so they did. $20 per month is cheaper than a cell phone! It’s nothing! We want to discourage cars altogether, in a city with so many other, better, ways to get around.
Thanks for your comment, Albert. I agree, $20 a month is low and may not be much of a disincentive to own a car in NYC. But at $20 a month, it adds up to more than twice the cost of an annual permit in San Francisco, which currently has the most expensive RPPs. It was just an example to illustrate that even if vehicle owners were to pay something for parking, it could generate a great deal of revenue.
A number of questions:
– What would a RPP cost to IMPLEMENT, ENFORCE and MAINTAIN? If it’s less than the revenue, then it’s a giveaway to drivers.
– What about people who come visit or who rent cars? Where would they park? Administering a guest permit program would be a nightmare.
– Why not just meter more spaces?
– RPP does not necessary equal easier parking. Some areas just have too many car owners.
Why not determine the number of permits for a certain area and then AUCTION them off to the highest bidders. Then we would see what curb parking is really worth.
A garage space doesn’t cost the same amount all over NYC, and neither should residential permits. Permits in Manhattan below 110th Street and in a few transit-rich areas in Brooklyn and Queens should have permit prices well above $20/month, while in Staten Island, South Brooklyn, Eastern Queens, and Northern Bronx, I imagine most residents would balk at $20/month. $20/month sounds about right for areas like Park Slope, Bed-Stuy, Harlem.
Still, your ballpark figure of about a quarter billion dollars a year in revenue sounds about right. Needless to say, this money should be earmarked for transit improvements.
Even more important than permits, though, what NYC really lacks is long-term on-street parking meters. Why should only residents be allowed to park overnight? Why should even residents have to hassle with buying an annual permit when perhaps they only intend to live in NYC for, say, a summer, or for a 6-month temporary job? Why not let anyone park on the street overnight for about $1/day, with no maximum other than having to move your car by the next street cleaning time? Like the permits, the amount can be varied by neighborhood, perhaps $3-$4/day in central Manhattan, and $0.25-$0.50/day far out in the outer boroughs. Some far-out places without parking problems can and should remain free. The amount can even vary by day of the week (lower on weekends and holidays, for example). Such a system may have higher start-up costs, but it may well have lower operating expenses and generate much more revenue.
One of the things that I rarely see mentioned in the residential parking permit discussion is the effect such a program would have on car owners who register their vehicles out of state but actually live (and drive) in New York. I regularly see the same cars with out of state plates parked in my neighborhood. More than likely the owners are taking advantage of reduced costs for insuring their vehicles out of state. I would think that the New York insurance industry would love to get those cars moved onto their revenue rolls. I am guessing that any residential parking permit program would require that your car be registered and insured in New York.
Since I need a car because of family disability, I wonder what consideration will be given to people with disability placards–from NY as well as other states in any RPP program? Also, I would like to see a more comprehensive vehicle licensing program, one that includes bicycles and motorized bicycles and scooters. This would make it easier to ticket all traffic violators (something that isn’t done today) and bring in more funds to the City.
Anyone interested in RPP in NYC need only access the websites of the Hoboken or the San Fransisco programs to see their strict requirements for valid state licensing, valid registration(vehicle needs to be domiciled at the licensed owner’s address inside the municipality), and valid insurance(same domicile). Neither municipality guarentees a parking spot with RPP.
While I don’t know what the cost of insuring an auto is in those municipalities, I do know it is much greater than $400 to insure in Brooklyn than upstate NY or PA or CT. Thousands of dollars more, I assure you. Of course, if you list your car at a Staten Island address you get a break on the VNB toll which might mean a thousand in your pocket each commuting year.
Car ownership entails much greater financial costs than what I mentioned above. It’s estimated in total at ten thousand plus. Most of that amount must be incurred before you even put the car on NYC roads, before putting gas into it. Think about it. That is the true cost in NYC of “free-parking” to the owner. There is no such thing.
Now think why so many are willing to do this. The car grants the opportunity to get to their job–their source of income, carry their families to many destinations, fulfill multiple obligations–make their standard-of-living possible in a timely manner at a cost they deem affordable. Did I mention freedom of movement? Need I?
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Having a parking permit in NYC would be a dream… no more running down to the meter at 9 AM to add money in the machine or move the car.
$400/year would be a steal! Much more affordable than $400/month parking garages cost!
Add the $400/year parking to the $20/month for gas (thanks GasBuddy) and $30/month insurance (thanks Insurance Panda), and New York would actually be a cheap place to drive once again!
[…] deal of inter-agency collaboration to tackle a problem of this magnitude. Tri-State has long been advocating for residential parking permits, and others have been making their own recommendations like eliminating the minimum parking […]
Here is the problem. Their are many people who have money in the city and affording a car with this permit plan would be well within their means. IMO it would give them incentive to buy and own a car in the city. So the out of state people who come would not be able to use their cars in the city. But it would not make a difference because everyone who does not have a car would go and buy one. On top of that i cant see the city banning people with cars or makeit hard for out of town people to come here. It is counter productive to the money that they bring. The problem with NYC now is that everyone from everywhere else wants to live here. Before all these trendy racist assholes started to pile in here parking was not this bad or a problem.
What I wan to know is Why there is Residential parking by permit only in Forest Hills, N Y. It is part of NYC
Thank you Cliff! I live In a neighborhood that is surrounded by court buildings, 2 parking garages were recently converted to Co-ops. I polllute the air circling for parking. I see so many of the people that live in my community with NJ and PA license plates. If we had resident parking permits it would open up street parking for residents, incentivize out of state registered vehicles to legally register their cars in NY. For those saying if we own a car we can pay for a garage…. Between car payments, premium insurance payments why should I have to pay another $400/month for a garage. And although I don’t feel I should I would, but I’ve been on a wait list for my area garage for 6 years!!!
I 100% advocate for residential parking permits.
Ossining Village in Westchester County has an Overnight Parking local law. Can’t park on PUBLIC roads between 3AM-6AM unless a parking permit is displayed on vehicle. Cost is $50/year. This system is no more than a money-maker for govt. Parking tickets are ERRONEOUSLY issued to cars with valid permits and must spent around 3 hours in court getting $30 ticket dismissed. Ignore a parking ticket and penalties will reach $230. One man allegedly owes $57,250 ! The system is okay when all’s considered but they getcha with the erroneously issued parking tickets. And MANY erroneous tickets are issued!
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Public Property belongs to the public, is not a good idea to get your RPP, that means if you come to my nice neighborhood you won’t have a space to park… Don’t just think in yourself, This is New York City we allready pay a lot of taxes. In NY we hustle for everything get used to it.. People buy houses close to train stations or to business to make money they paved over their front yards and started to park cars there, although it’s against the law.I think your RPP thinking will work in florida… advice… just moved out of the city…
I live in Battery Park City. A permit would be a dream to have here. Between the black car TLC drivers, the tourists, and the locals who have out of state plates, parking here is nearly impossible for a resident. I would gladly pay a reasonable monthly fee for a permit. Reasonable being the keyword as even with a permit, parking will still be very tough, and I have no doubt that many times most of us will still need to use a garage.
I live in a neighborhood in the north Bronx where there is no off street parking period. Local hospitals have bought up every available off street parking space for their employees and visitors. On top of that, the on street parking regulations are enforced with a vengeance. Even on Sundays teams of parking enforcement agents are trolling the neighborhood for registration and inspection violations. I would pay just about any price for a residential parking program.