"Cruising" Study Finds Park Slope Parking Hell

Looking for a parking space in Park Slope? Tough luck. According to a new study, more than half of the traffic in Park Slope is "just cruising for a parking spot." That interesting finding is in a report called "No Vacancy: Park Slope's Parking Problem and How to Fix It" conducted by Transportation Alternatives. The report says that curbside parking spaces on 7th Avenue are filled to capacity.

Among the findings:

• On average, 94% of the area's metered parking spaces are occupied, with nearly 100% of spaces occupied at peak periods. Occupancy rates at non-metered spaces average 95%.
• Nearly one in every six vehicles parked along 7th Avenue is illegally parked.
• Nearly 2/3 of local traffic is circling the block cruising for parking.
  

Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives says that "Brooklynites are suffering from needless traffic and dangerous illegal parking that could be easily eliminated through inexpensive improvements like market-priced Muni-Meters and residential parking permits."

The study is the first of "cruising" in Brooklyn, and the third done in New York City overall, according to the group. It concludes that "market rate pricing" on commercial corridors like Seventh Avenue and resident parking permits could cut traffic in Park Slope by up to 45 percent. The group argues that making on-street parking closer in price to private garages would free up more parking spaces and reduce traffic.