Brooklyn Pols Revive Proposal for Residential Permit Parking

On Friday, a trio of local electeds pushed for legislation that would allow New York City to create a residential permit parking system. The Daily News and NY1 picked up the story, and if those reports have you wondering about specifics, that’s because much of the plan has yet to be hammered out.

An RPP program, which would establish districts within the city where car owners must display permits to park legally in most on-street spaces, needs Albany’s assent to become law. Assembly Member Joan Millman and State Senator Daniel Squadron have introduced bills in their respective chambers, with the details of the permit system left up to the city. Council Member David Yassky is carrying the banner for RPP at City Hall.

This is not the first time lawmakers have turned their attention to residential permit parking. Most recently, RPP got a serious look during last year’s congestion pricing debate, when DOT devised a plan to assuage fears that car commuters would cram on-street parking spaces just outside the cordon zone.

That version of RPP included only nominal permit fees — just enough to cover the cost of running the program. This time around, the bill’s sponsors are touting permit fees as a new revenue source for the MTA. Separated from congestion pricing, however, an RPP system won’t pack quite the same punch. Reports the News:

A Transportation Department spokesman said permits alone aren’t
enough to solve parking problems, and should be accompanied by a
congestion pricing plan.

“Without such a plan, we don’t believe
this bill will actually solve neighborhood parking problems,” said
Transportation Department spokesman Seth Solomonow.