March 7, 2008
Free Parking for NYC's Hybrid Car Drivers?
A proposal by City Council Member Hiram Monserrate would give hybrid car drivers free parking at meters for a year after their initial purchase. If the legislation passes, drivers with receipts for hybrid cars could apply for the permits, which the Queens councilman says would cost the city little in lost revenue, because the taxes from new car sales would make up for the quarters lost at parking meters.
But Council Member John Liu, chairman of the Transportation Committee, is raising questions about the plan, such as “whether this is limited to residents or if people visiting from Ohio who happened to drive their hybrid to New York for vacation could apply.” And the chorus on Streetsblog, a site that advocates changes to urban transportation, seems cool to the idea because it would not help ease New York’s traffic congestion.
But Monserrate is a dogged advocate of hybrid cars and is sponsoring two related resolutions, one that would urge state lawmakers to offer a tax credit toward gasoline purchases for hybrid vehicles and another calling for tax incentives for hybrid buyers.
Photo of hybrid parking at IKEA by vw-busman.
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Monserrate must be unaware that GM is planning on building many full size hybrid SUVs and pickups.
Transportation Alternatives has a press release about this: http://transalt.org/newsroom/releases/2161
No surprise the auto-phobic streetsblog crowd is against the idea...
Well, it's either all or none. Can't really give preferential treatment (or there will be even more bitching) along the lines of:
Only Toyota Priuses or imported cars from Japan, deemed streetlegal, with EPA rated mpg > 50mpg will be accepted.
Montserrate sounds more like an auto-sales advocate than anything else,
Idiotic. How about some way to encourage the majority of households in NYC who don't even own a car?
Ooh, I know we can use congestion pricing to reduce driving and improve mass transit.
People would probably go out and spend $20 or $30 on a hybrid badge to stick on their car so they could park for free.
dumb ass idea. just charge people to drive into congested areas. and toll free for those who ride bikes/scooters/motorcycles.
how many bikes would fit into that spot?
how many bikes would fit into that spot?
This seems more like a media stunt than a practical solution. Fact is, there are so few hybrid cars on the road, this won't make any noticeable improvement on congestion or the health of the planet.
tru dat emily
how many bikes would be stolen from that spot?
Fixed your post
Yeah I don't really see this going anywhere especially when the city is seeking to discourage all auto traffic from the city. Providing free parking for certain kinds of cars goes completely opposite to that goal. Even if they are hybrid cars, they are still cars and still contribute to congestion.