I grew up in Chicago, where we all have residential permits- it works wonderfully.
One of the only things I hate about our life in Brooklyn (and I really do mean hate)- is moving our van every 2 days. My husband is a musician so we have a van that feels like a behemoth in the Brooklyn streets. This lovely Chevy has to be reparked and reparked and reparked – usually with my kids thrown in the back for a quick park job a block away. When we first moved to Brooklyn, we only had 1 day of alternate side parking. A couple of years ago, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill were reconfigured for frequent street cleanings; MAJOR pain. So, I’m all for residential parking permits, especially now that my behemoth will have to fight an estimated 5,600 cars coming in for basketball games at the Barclays Center. It’s enough that we have to deal with the Center in the middle of our neighborhood- let alone the amount of incoming cars and traffic problems that haven’t been addressed.
So, let’s get Residential Parking Permits passed!
If you want to learn more about the process, the NY Post did a story on it today here. I grew up in Chicago where we all had residential permits. The cost wasn’t prohibitive ($25 for the year and guest passes for a pack of 15 was and still is $8) and the system did discourage people from driving to the areas and parking for days on end.
There is a hearing in City Council on Wednesday, November 2nd
“According to the Empire State Development Corporation, when the Barclays Center opens in September 2012, an expected 35% of arena patrons or as many as 5,600 cars will travel to the site for each of the projected 220 events held each year. If nothing is done before to mitigate this volume of traffic, there will be an increased risk of vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle accidents that have already make Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn’s most dangerous road. This barrage of traffic is also expected to cause significant delays at more than half of the intersections within a half mile of the arena. And it will result in almost 3,000 arena patrons taking curbside parking spots in Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, and Prospect Heights.
On Wednesday, 11/2 at 10:30AM, the City Council will hear testimony on legislation authorizing the City to enact residential permit parking programs in the five boroughs. The Boerum Hill Association urges you to participate in this critical hearing and make your voice heard.”
What: Hearing of the New York City Council Committee on State and Federal Legislation
When: Wednesday, 11/2 at 10:30AM
Where: 250 Broadway, 14th Floor