Uptown drivers are bracing for even worse parking in their neighborhoods after congestion pricing goes into effect as soon as this spring – and the MTA acknowledges it could be a problem.
Since the tolling program was signed into law in 2019, transit observers have worried that drivers from out of town will park north of the toll zone at 60th Street, then hop on public transit.
The MTA’s analysis of congestion pricing found the program would “slightly increase the number of drivers who would seek parking near transit facilities in New York City outside the Manhattan CBD [central business district].”
“[Congestion pricing] would generate parking demand outside the Manhattan CBD, which could exceed supply if the area is currently at or over capacity,” the analysis reads. It recommended the panel that selected a base fare of $15 for congestion pricing study the program’s effect on parking 18 months after it goes into effect.
A group of Upper West Side residents’ long-standing push for parking permits for residents has now taken on new urgency. But New York City faces unique challenges implementing the measure in some of the country’s densest neighborhoods, according to parking experts and an analysis of permit programs in other major cities.
Once congestion pricing goes into effect, “it’s going be hard to get parking anywhere, honestly,” said Kevin Keenan, a super who’s lived on the Upper West Side for 25 years. “Right now it’s crazy because nobody’s moving their car.”
His neighbor Renee Baruch agrees. She started NYC Residential Parking, a group seeking permits for “local residents, retail and commercial business owners, and workforce service providers for a reasonable monthly fee.” The group suggests the fee could range from $10 to $90 per month.
“Numerous voices have publicly charged that the proposed [congestion pricing] is a ‘money grab,’” the group’s website reads. “We believe that in the absence of appropriate preparation…
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