M&S Parking

Clear Curbs pilot program comes to Brooklyn and Queens

2018-03-20T12:38:00.000-04:00

A new pilot program is coming to Brooklyn and Queens that hopes to reduce traffic congestion by banning curbside parking and loading during peak hours (7am-10am; 4pm-7pm). The Clear Curbs program aims to clear delivery trucks who double park and idle in traffic lanes during rush hour.

The city will collect data on congestion, double parking, and delivery activity to determine whether or not to make the program permanent and expand it to other locations.

DeBlasio promises crackdown on school placard abuse but cars continue to park illegally

2017-05-30T17:31:00.002-04:00

Last week, Mayor DeBlasio promised to crack down on illegal abuse stemming from the additional 50,000 parking placards issued to city school employees. According to Streetsblog, there are almost 150,000 official placards, but also an unknown number of counterfeit placards. An anonymous Twitter account @placardabuse documents vehicles parking in a variety of illegal ways.

The NYPD stated that they would hire an additional 100 ticket agents and add 16 police officers to a placard fraud enhancement unit. The mayor also pledged new technology that would be able to scan license plates for placard abuse. The city also promised better monitoring of 311 complaints, @placardabuse, and other relevant online sites to stay on top of the problem.

However, several days after Mayor DeBlasio made these statements, CBS News found that there were still vehicles parking illegally outside of city schools, as shown in the video above.

Calls for oversight over parking signs sold by NYC to construction companies

2017-05-15T17:02:00.000-04:00

Did you know that some of the No Parking Department of Transportation signs you see around NYC were not actually put there by the city? According to a story by ABC News, the No Parking signs with the orange DOT tags are actually sold by the city to construction companies who do not always install the signs where a No Parking regulation actually exists. Senator Daniel Squadron, (D) Brooklyn, is calling for oversight following an investigation into the problematic signage.

NYC City Council hearing on transportation yields few answers to congestion

2017-03-31T17:39:00.000-04:00

Photo credit: Mario Tama/ Getty Images

According to StreetsBlog, this week's City Council hearing on transportation did little to set any plans in motion to combat the city's congestion problems. Here are the highlights from the meeting:

Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said the city is looking into parking policy reforms, and smarter delivery practices.

MTA CFO Michael Chubak explained declining bus ridership as being caused by riders switching to parallel subway lines, but did not have any updates on improving bus service and reliability. He also said the agency had never explored the possibility of using the MTA's real time GPS system to reduce bus bunching, to which Council Member David Greenfield responded, "You have the technology to actually make sure that bus bunching doesn't occur."

Mayor de Blasio has stated previously that the City will not fund half priced MetroCards for low income residents, believing the state should cover the cost because the MTA is a state agency. The MTA however, believes the City is responsible for the cost, with Chubak stating, "It's really a social services question. We don't think it's a decision for the MTA to make. It's really a question of social policy, which would need to be made by New York City."

Park Slope parking spot listed for $300,000

2017-03-17T14:21:00.000-04:00

According to CBS News, a parking spot in Park Slope is up for sale for $300,000. The spot is being listed as a condominium on Brown Harris Stevens real estate. Along with a place to park the car, the spot comes with a garage valet and hand-washing... at an additional charge.

Top 5 NYC neighborhoods for receiving parking tickets 2017

2017-03-17T13:42:00.000-04:00

RentHop recently conducted a survey to find out where drivers are the most/ least likely to receive a parking ticket, and learned that despite having less than 12% of households with cars, Manhattan receives 30% of the city's tickets. The best and worst neighborhoods for receiving tickets are:

Top ticketed neighborhoods:

Upper East Side
Astoria/ Steinway
Flushing/ College Point/ Murray Hill
Flatbush/ Ditmas Park
TriBeCa/ SoHo

Lowest ticketed neighborhoods:

South Shore
Far Rockaway
Bloomfield/ West Shore
Arverne/ Broad Channel
St. Albans/ S. Jamaica/ JFK

Congestion pricing "not part of my vision," says DeBlasio

2017-02-17T16:15:00.002-05:00

Photo credit: Kevin Case for Wikipedia

According to Newsday, Mayor Bill de Blasio does not support congestion pricing for Manhattan, and said it's "not part of my vision." While other major cities, such as London, Singapore, and Stockholm, have had success using such pricing programs, Albany has yet to support such a plan.

2017-01-27T13:24:00.001-05:00

According to CBS News, Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to crackdown on offenses such as speeding, failure to yield to pedestrians, texting while driving, and drunk driving, to further his Vision Zero efforts to eliminate pedestrian deaths. Additionally, the mayor has added 120 new radar guns for police precincts to his proposed budget, The NYPD says it issued a record 137,000 speeding tickets in 2016.

There have been 15 traffic related fatalities in 2017, according to the Mayor. In the three years since beginning the Vision Zero initiatives, the city has seen traffic deaths decrease by more than 20 percent.

NYC traffic deaths down, pedestrian deaths up in 2016

2017-01-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

Photo credit: TransAlt.org

According to ABC News and The New York Times, Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero program has resulted in New York City traffic deaths declining for a third straight year. However, the number of pedestrian deaths increased slightly from the previous year. Vision Zero's goal is to completely eliminate traffic deaths by 2024.

Despite criticism from around the community that changes are not happening fast enough to protect pedestrians, Mr. de Blasio continues defending Vision Zero. "We are very committed," he said on channel NY1. "I believe in Vision Zero 110 percent, and now we have three years running where it's produced better results each year."

NYPD issues 50,000+ summonses during new Dusk & Darkness initiative

2016-11-30T09:19:00.001-05:00

Mayor de Blasio announced a new online crash tracker, which shows the city's most dangerous intersections. According to ABC News, the tracker is part of the mayor's recent Dusk and Darkness initiative, which was announced last month. Dusk and Darkness focuses on decreasing collisions during the early evening hours of fall and winter, when they are 40% more likely than in other seasons.

In addition to the tracker, police will be looking for driver who speed during the evening rush hour, do not yield to pedestrians, text and drive, and block the bike lanes. The NYPD has already issued over 50,000 summonses for moving violations during the initiative.

To view the new Traffic Stat site, click here.

Would you pay $185,000 on a parking space?

2016-11-04T11:37:00.001-04:00

Photo credit: Google Maps

According to the New York Post, Brooklyn's new Parking Club is offering "deeded condominium" parking spots, starting at $185,000. Included valet services include filling your gas tank, car washes, maintenance and registration inspections. Just like any other condo, owners will also pay monthly common charges and taxes on their parking spots.

"As parking continues to disappear, I think it's an opportunity for developers going forward to build parking developments," says Jamie Anthony of Lonicera Partners, which developed The Parking Club. "Demand is going to continue to go up... it's going to become more of a valuable commodity."

Residents petition city for changes at Kew Gardens' "Intersection of Doom"

2016-09-30T16:48:00.003-04:00

Photo credit: DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

Residents in Kew Gardens are petitioning the city to make some major changes to a corner they've nicknamed the "Intersection of Doom." The intersection, located at Park Lane South and Metropolitan Avenue, has been the site of nine injuries resulting from crashes from 2012- 2016. Petitioners are asking for a red light camera on Metropolitan Avenue, lane separators on Park Lane South, and extra time for crosswalk signals.

“On a daily basis, pedestrians are faced with cars speeding well above the 25MPH limit along Metropolitan Ave., dangerous drivers who turn against the left-turn light on Park Lane South with no regard for pedestrians who have already entered the crosswalks, and cars and motorcycles who have taken to racing along Metropolitan Ave. at night as though it was part of the Grand Prix course,” residents wrote in the petition.

Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz contacted the Department of Transportation and the agency plans to conduct a study of the intersection.

The DOT is already working on a larger safety project for the Park Lane South corridor which includes the Metropolitan Avenue and Park Lane South intersection. The proposal will be presented to the community this fall.

75 miles of new bike lanes coming to NYC

2016-09-19T15:38:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: PeopleForBikes.org

According to Curbed, Mayor de Blasio announced this week that Vision Zero plans to add 75 miles of new bike lanes (including 18 miles of fully protected lanes) by the end of this year. Although the city will be adding more bike lanes this year than any prior year, critics of the plan say the city is not acting quickly enough or doing to enough to protect cyclists.

The list of new protected bike lanes is available on the Department of Transportation's website.

Vision Zero is not preventing cyclist deaths

2016-09-08T11:40:00.001-04:00

Photo courtesy of nyc.gov

According to the Daily News, Vision Zero's cyclist fatalities have already exceeded those of 2015. 16 people have died so far this year while biking - the latest incident occurred last week on Northern Boulevard, which has already been identified by Vision Zero as one of the most dangerous streets in the city for pedestrians and bikers.

The goal of Vision Zero is to end all traffic fatalities, and has so far resulted in a lower speed limit, stricter penalties for drivers who injure pedestrians and cyclists, and redesigning streets and medians to maximize safety. The city has seen a substantial drop in pedestrian fatalities since 2013.

Transportation Alternatives. an advocacy group for pedestrians and cyclists, will be holding a Ride for Mayoral Action on September 15 to ask the city for more improvements in bike safety.

How will L train shutdown affect NYC drivers?

2016-07-25T15:45:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: JoesphBarbaro for Wikipedia

According to Gothamist, the L train shutdown is officially happening in 2019. The MTA plans to shut down service completely to and within Manhattan for 18 months, which raises the question - what will happen to subway commuters and how will motorists be affected? Several alternative modes of transport are expected to be offered, including shuttle bus service, expanded ferry service, and some lawmakers are calling for 14th Street to be completely car free during the shutdown.

While the 18 month shutdown seems extreme, it was actually the overwhelmingly favored plan, as the MTA had also considered a three year, limited service option. “We think it is better to have a shorter duration of pain than a longer more unstable process - and risk unplanned closures - by leaving one track open during construction,” Veronique Hakim, president of New York City Transit, said in a statement. "Approximately 80 percent of riders will have the same disruptions with either option. Throughout our extensive outreach process and review, it became clear that the 18-month closure was the best construction option and offered the least amount of pain to customers for the shortest period of time."

Could these bridges solve NJ's transit problems more effectively than the Gateway Project?

2016-06-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of NJ.com
Credit: Tevebaugh Associates Architects

A transportation consultant who worked on the cancelled ARC Tunnel project believes a faster and better alternative to the Gateway Project is actually a pair of suspension bridges that would run from New Jersey to Manhattan to Queens.

The $20 billion Gateway Project is the plan to construct two new tunnels under the Hudson River to help ease NJ Transit and Amtrak congestion. However, the tunnels are expected to take at least 15 years before they would be in service. Consultant Scott R. Spencer believes the solution lies in building twin bridges, the first of which could be in service in just 5 years. The tri-level bridges would carry two rail lines on the lower levels, while carrying buses on the middle levels, and pedestrian/ bike traffic on the upper levels.

Spencer proposed the project at a public hearing on the tunnels last month and plans to send concept drawings and documents to the Federal Railroad administration.

NYC Open Data reveals millions in parking tickets should have never been issued

2016-05-12T16:58:00.004-04:00

According to ABC News, data analyst Ben Wellington has discovered that the NYPD has issued upwards of $12 million in invalid parking tickets over the past several years. Combing through the NYC's Open Data portal, Wellington noticed a large number of summonses were issued for blocking pedestrian ramps that are located in the middle of the street and not connected to crosswalks. However, the city made those parking spots legal in 2009.

The NYPD has since admitted the tickets should never have been issued and stated, "Mr. Wellington's analysis identified errors the department made in issuing summonses... The department has since sent a training message to all officers clarifying the rule change."

Defective meters in the Bronx resulting in headaches and tickets

2016-05-11T15:29:00.001-04:00

According to CBS News, defective muni meters in the Morris Park section of the Bronx are causing problems for drivers and businesses along White Plains Road. The malfunctions range from meters saying credit cards are invalid, to saying transactions were cancelled but still charging users' credit cards. Other drivers are being ticketed while parking to look for a working muni meter. Out of 8 muni meters CBS News tested on the stretch of road in question, only two out of eight were working correctly.

NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg says all the meters in the city are inspected once a month and if you find a defective meter, call 311 to report it.

25 of the most dangerous intersections in NYC

2016-04-07T16:04:00.002-04:00

Gothamist reported this week that Aleksey Bilogur, a Baruch College mathematics student, analyzed NYC's public data on motor vehicle collisions and compiled a list of the most dangerous intersections in the city. He created an interactive which allows you to zoom in on intersections to see their annual collision rate. The graph and entire list can be viewed here,

What is the most dangerous intersection in the city? Tilary Street and Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, with an estimated 180 collisions per year. While that is still a high number, overall the city is still on track to have record low traffic fatalities for the third year in a row.

NYC's new toll plan introduced in Albany

2016-03-24T17:33:00.003-04:00

photo credit: Wikipedia user ILMRT

A new toll and congestion relieving plan created by Gridlock Sam Schwartz has been introduced in Albany by Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez, D-Manhattan. According to Crain's, the bill, called the Move New York Fair Plan, will:

create a standard toll around the central business district ($5.54 with E-ZPass/ $8 without)
60th street in Manhattan would become an additional tolling point for vehicles traveling north or south
tolls would be paid digitally so vehicles would not have to slow down to pay, which would also allow for peak/ off peak pricing
create a vehicle for hire surcharge
raise revenue for subways/ buses/ roads/ bridges
cause the Verrazano Bridge toll to drop by half, as well as discount the tolls on seven MTA bridges
decrease traffic congestion

The bill has 14 co-sponsors, and both Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo have said in the past that the plan has merit. What do you think of the new bill?

Home delivery services clogging NYC streets

2016-03-07T17:31:00.001-05:00

PHOTO CREDIT: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/ GETTY IMAGES

According to the Daily News, home delivery services like Amazon and FreshDirect are further clogging New York's already busy streets. 90% of city goods are brought in by trucks, and delivery services are creating a bigger challenge for the Department of Transportation.

City Councilman Mark Levine (D-Manhattan) has proposed a bill that would require the city to perform a study on commercial vs home truck deliveries. He believe commercial truck deliveries are still the main problem and would like to see limits imposed on rush hour deliveries.

According to FreshDirect, their fleet has been reduced in the city, as well as increased its number of hybrid vehicles.

NYC Councilman proposes free parking on legal holidays

2016-02-25T10:36:00.000-05:00

According to CBS News, NYC Councilman Vincent Gentile is proposing a bill that would make metered parking free for the approximately 35 legal holidays in the city. "It's probably one of the biggest complaints I get from constituents, alternate side parking is suspended, why aren't the meters suspended as well, because people presume that's the case, and then they get ticketed," he said.

The bill is scheduled to be introduced to the City Council on Wednesday.

NYPD: No, you cannot save your parking spot with a chair/ garbage can/ etc.

2016-01-29T17:58:00.001-05:00

Contrary to popular belief, you cannot save the parking spot you worked so hard to shovel out after the blizzard with a chair or garbage can. According to Zach Tumin, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives, not only can you not reserve your parking space, but if you try to do so, you may receive a summons. Mr. Tumin's tweet comes after several days of heated debate on social media.

Cuomo proposes plan to improve roads & slash Thruway tolls

2016-01-11T17:15:00.002-05:00

Photo Credit: Pat Arnow
Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons

According to the NY Times, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a five year, $22 billion plan to improve state roads and bridges this week. The details will be outlined in the governor's upcoming State of the State address.

Mr. Cuomo also proposed slashing tolls for the NY Thruway's most frequent users, while freezing tolls at their current rates for all other users, according to Transport Topics. He also would like the freeze toll rates on the Tappan Zee bridge, and plans to spend $700 million to keep tolls at their current rates through 2020.

"The thruway is a vital artery for commerce and transportation throughout upstate, so we are going to deliver major toll relief to New Yorkers," Cuomo said. "We are going to reduce tolls for businesses and drivers who rely on it the most, eliminate them for farmers bringing their goods to market and freeze tolls for everone else until at least 2020."

Top 10 Ticketed Neighborhoods in NYC

2016-01-08T11:32:00.001-05:00

Image credit: RentHop

Thanks to the the Village Voice and RentHop for compiling the top 10 most ticketed neighborhoods in NYC.

And the top most ticketed locations in the city are:

2655 Richmond Ave, Staten Island (4,668 tickets) - Staten Island Mall

365 Bridge St, Brooklyn (3,374 tickets) - MetroTech Center, BellTell Lofts

1330 1st Ave, Manhattan (2,866 tickets) - New York Presbyterian Hospital Employee Housing

170 Joralemon St, Brooklyn (2,335 tickets) - The Packer Collegiate Institute

448 W 16th St, Manhattan (2,239 tickets) - Manhattan Fruit Exchange, Chelsea Market

99 Warren St, Manhattan (2,049 tickets) - 101-99 Warren Condo Complex and Shopping Center

355 Bard Ave, Staten Island (2,022 tickets) - Richmond University Medical Center

95-25 Queens Blvd, Rego Park (1,901 tickets) - North Shore LIJ Medical Group

82-23 Broadway, Queens (1,788 tickets) - Verizon Wire Center

204 Livingston St, Brooklyn (1,759 tickets) - Bridge Dry Cleaners

Have you ever received a ticket in these areas?