Residential Parking Permit Plan Announced in Boerum Hill

As noted, Mayor Bloomberg held a press conference this morning in Boerum Hill to announce a new residential parking permit plan proposal as part of congestion pricing. He was joined by Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. The press conference took place at about the time Gov. Spitzer was announcing his resignation. Per a press release, the program "is designed to give local residents priority for on-street parking in residential areas and to discourage park-and-ride activity by commuters. It will be tailored by neighborhood to address specific needs, and restrictions will vary based on neighborhood parking patterns." Parking permit legislation will be introduced in the City Council and in Albany. Neighborhoods will have the opportunity to "opt in" to the program via a Community Board vote and other sign offs, and parking by non-residents would be limited to 90 minutes at certain times. The Mayor and DOT Commissioner noted Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Long Island City, and the Upper East and West Sides of Manhattan as places where there is interest in the idea. (We would add other Brooklyn neighborhoods including Park Slope.) The Mayor said: "This is a promising and proven parking management strategy that together with congestion pricing will help us achieve one of the key goals of PlaNYC – cutting down on pollution-creating traffic and creating an environmentally sustainable transportation system for New York City."

"Congestion Pricing is vital to the future of New York City and a Residential Parking Permit program will help to ensure that neighborhoods are not overrun with commuters looking for parking before they get on a subway to enter the pricing zone," said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. "The Residential Parking Permit program will give parking priority to local residents while also balancing the need for some visitor and commercial parking."