New Parking Law: Notice of Parking Restriction Changes Required!

Last Updated on January 13, 2018 by Lawrence Berezin

The star of the new parking law show

The 5 Minute Grace Period Bill was the star of the NYC Council parking law show on November 16, 2009. Two additional parking laws, which received less publicity, give the driving public some well-deserved courtesy, consideration, and protection.

Councilman Simcha Felder stated:

“Simple notification would ensure that drivers park safely and would reduce the number of unfair parking tickets.”

This is the first of a two-part series of blog posts covering the two less publicized bills, starting with the requirement of notification of parking restriction changes. On deck is “Notification of Parking Meter Changes.”

NYC Council Press Release

To minimize confusion surrounding often times complicated parking rules, the Council will vote to require notice before certain permanent and temporary parking restrictions go into effect.  With limited curbside parking and many confusing parking restrictions, parking in New York City can be very challenging.  Adding to this confusion are parking restriction changes, both permanent and temporary, that may happen for reasons such as parades, filming, road repairs or permanent parking restriction changes prompted by DOT.

Specifically, this bill would:
• Allow motorists who receive parking tickets for violating newly implemented parking regulations within five days of the regulations going into effect to defend their ticket in traffic court;
• Require DOT to post parking change notices immediately when doing road repair work and provide information on how to retrieve towed vehicles;
• Require someone who gets a permit for temporary parking restriction changes from the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting to post parking change notices immediately and provide information on how to retrieve towed vehicles;
• Require the sponsor of a planned event, such as a street fair or parade, to post notice of parking restriction changes on a form provided by the Mayor’s office at least seven days before the parking restrictions take effect.

This legislation would take effect 90 days after being signed into law.”

Commentary

Hip, hip hooray. This is a terrific piece of legislation for the driving public.

You may wish to download the transcript of the NYC Council meeting of November 16, 2010, where prominent council members, who sponsored these bills, talk about the “whys and wherefores.” It is fascinating to take a look behind the scenes to learn about the process and thoughts of the councilmen on these important challenges.

There is another Bill passed on December 21, 2009, which allows clergy members to park for a longer period while pastoring.

What do you think? Have you ever received a parking ticket when you came out of work and the parking sign was changed? Please share your experiences.