Last Updated on September 21, 2017 by Lawrence Berezin
Parking policy in NYC
Parking policy in NYC falls under the auspices of the Department of City Planning. Here’s how the Department of City Planning views its mission:
Where and how vehicles and bicycles are parked in the city is of interest for many people in the metropolitan area whether they own or drive a vehicle, a bicycle, both or neither. Planners, developers, and builders are trying to find the right formula for balancing competing needs. These include neighborhood concerns about general quality of life issues related to the availability and number of on-street parking spaces and vehicles cruising in search of parking; developers’ concerns about the cost of providing too much or too few parking spaces for prospective occupants; and environmental considerations to reduce congestion and carbon emissions and improve air quality by reducing automobile use.”
Here’s a wonderful video that explains the consequences of parking policy decisions
Parking policy dictates the allocation of land for on street and off street parking
In the last decade, New York City’s land use policies have further refocused development in transit-oriented, walkable communities. New York City’s extensive transportation network promotes high-density development and enables residents, commuters, and visitors to get around the city by subway, train, bus, ferry, bike, or on foot in addition to traveling by car. Car ownership is lower in New York than most other places, in large part, because of the many transportation options. This allows New York to have lower parking requirements than most cities.
New York already uses maximums, requires parking for bicycles and car share vehicles, and caps a number of parking spaces in public parking facilities. However, many of New York City’s parking regulations have been in place for decades and the Department of City Planning is currently reviewing parking regulations set forth in the Zoning Resolution. There is potential to do more. Moving forward, the City will reach out to communities and identify opportunities where current policies could be adjusted, or new strategies could be introduced to make neighborhoods even better.
The report provides general definitions of parking policies or parking programs along with relevant examples. In addition, there are case studies of twelve different cities summarizing parking policies – both within and beyond each city’s central business district – followed by sections on current overall policies and programs, waivers, and variances. The table below highlights population, the journey to work and parking data for each city included in the case study section. ”
5 parking ticket factoids to tweet
- [Tweet “The median cost of structured parking in NYC is the highest in the country at $21,000 per space”]
- [Tweet ” It’s not gov. role to forecast parking demand & adjust policy to make developers provide it”]
- [Tweet ““Excessive parking requirements could hinder housing production, making housing less affordable””]
- [Tweet “Performance-Based Parking Pricing is a version of demand pricing for on-street parking.”]
- [Tweet “The DOT 2010 Sustainable Streets Index documents a more than 2% decline in NYC traffic volumes since 2000. “]
10 top-notch parking policy resources
Reinventing Parking–website. Reinventing parking is a site about parking policy and parking reform everywhere. “A key aim of Reinventing Parking is to help clarify the parking policy choices confronting communities. We aim to give “accessible parking wonkery” (to quote new contributor, Seth Goodman) and to raise the level of debate.”
Streetsblog NYC–website. A daily news source connecting people to information about sustainable transportation and livable communities. “Since 2006, Streetsblog has covered the movement to transform our cities by reducing dependence on private automobiles and improving conditions for walking, biking, and transit. Our reporters have broken important stories about transit funding, pedestrian safety, and bicycle policy from day one. And our writing makes arcane topics like parking prices and induced traffic accessible to a broad audience.”
Check out their “take” on a parking reform study recently issued by the NYC Department of City Planning entitled, “D.C.P Releases Timid Parking Reform Study for the Boroughs.”
Transportation Nation– website. Wonderful features and insights about cars, parking, and other transportation challenges
Parking Today-All the news (about parking) fit to print
NYC Department of City Planning– A department of NYC gov.
| NEW! Inner Ring Residential Parking Study (2013) examines the relationship among cost of providing parking, residents’ choices about vehicles, and zoning requirements for parking within neighborhoods in Upper Manhattan, the South Bronx, western Queens, and northern and central Brooklyn. Based on extensive analysis, it identifies several principles to guide parking policies and to tell future discussions about land use and parking in these neighborhoods. |
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| Manhattan Core Public Parking Study (2011) analyzes the use and supply of off-street public parking in Manhattan Community Districts 1 through 8, an area is known as the “Manhattan Core.” Since 1982, zoning regulations have limited the amount of new parking permitted in the Manhattan Core. The study examines the current use of public parking facilities, along with demographic and transportation trends, to tell potential changes to the Manhattan Core parking regulations. | |
| Parking Best Practices (2011) reviews parking regulations and policies used by various cities as a way to manage on-street and off-street parking resources, as well as address traffic congestion. | |
| The Peripheral Travel Study (2010) evaluates journey-to-work commutes for workers who live and/or work in the boroughs outside of Manhattan. Since subway and commuter rail systems focus primarily on delivering commuters to the Manhattan Central Business Districts (CBD), this study presents an opportunity to analyze work trips involving other destinations, around the periphery of the CBD. | |
| The Residential Parking Study (2009) looks at the Zoning Resolution’s parking requirements for new housing and the car ownership patterns of the residents of such housing. The study also evaluates the patterns of car ownership with regard to building type, location in the city, and socioeconomic and demographic factors to determine whether current parking regulations show demand for parking. | |
Commentary
New York Parking Ticket is a passionate advocate for members of the driving public. Fighting for victims of unjust parking tickets is our primary mission. And so is education.
I remember when my father drove up to our home with a brand, new Buick. I was seven years old. I vividly recall sitting on my Dad’s lap when he let me “drive” this wonderful machine. I fell in love with cars at a time when cars were king of the road.
Now, cars share the roadway with a variety of stakeholders, including but not limited to, buses, taxi cabs, pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, and so on…It is critical for our community to keep up with the myriad reform initiatives that affect the ownership and use of cars in the city.
Are you glad to share? Or, will cars in the city experience the same fate as gasoline for less than $1? What are your thoughts?
How does the NYC Department of City Planning formulate parking regulations? Is it worth our time to complain or give feedback? And who should we complain to? Specifically, my question today involves parking on upper Riverside Drive in the 160’s near Columbia-Presbyterian. On the East side of RSD there’s ‘No Parking from 4-7 pm, M-F’. Now why would that be a regulation? What social or public gain happens by forcing people to move their cars for 3 hours from that side of RSD? Why not 5-8 pm? Or 6-9 pm? Today I was a couple minutes late moving my car and they had a handful of traffic enfacement officers giving tickets as fast as they could write them – as well as several tow-trucks hooking up cars and towing them as fast as they could as well. It looked like a ‘money-making’ scheme on behalf of the city – the traffic police had clearly pre-planned an attack on this section of RSD. Is that what it is? Simply another way for the city to make money? Thanks.
Dear David,
Good morning.
Excellent, thoughtful, comment.
In a general sense, here are two links to pages on the City Planning website that demonstrates the process in which policy changes are effectuated when the changes emanate from City Planning.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/mn_core/index.shtml
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/mn_core/mn_core_text_amendment.shtml
I might start with my local community board to try to gain support for a specific change in the parking regulations. Once you gain some CB traction, I would contact my NYC Council person to present your proposal before the City Council.
Keep us posted.
Best,
Larry