Parking Meter Prices Going Up Like Everything Else

Since February the DOT has been busy changing parking meters from 25 cents for 30 minutes to just 20 minutes for a quarter. It's the first such change on low-rate meters since 1995, and the Bloomberg administration expects it to yield an additional $16.8 million. All 17,842 meters in Queens have been changed, and the process is underway in The Bronx, to be followed by Brooklyn, Staten Island, and finally upper Manhattan in June. Of course, drivers and retailers are hopping mad about this, and the Post is savoring the populist fury. Queens florist Mathew Xenakis declares, "It's bad timing, it's a bad economy, and we're trying to survive." Brooklyn mechanic John Zarro opines, "Everybody is broke—the city should take away some meters to give people a break." And likely mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner sees a dark conspiracy at play, "In Queens, people woke up one morning and found that parking meters increased in the cover of night." But Ian Dutton of Manhattan's Community Board 2 posits that higher parking meter rates are good for business, because "the more cars we get to turn over, the more we get shoppers running quick errands into the stores."

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By John Del Signore in News on April 17, 2009 6:00 PM

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Comments [rss]

NannyState

A Quarter? They still make those?

dailygrind

in parts of SF, it's a quarter for 5 minutes.

holyfrjole

With the amount of money that cars generate for the city and state in the way of registration fees, ticket fees, parking meter fees, tolls, and taxes (for parking in garages), along with the revenue generated by auto repair shops, auto parts shops and other auto-related businesses, this city would be more accepting and acknowledge that yes, people do drive.

Tower18

54% of New Yorkers don't even own a car, and 75% of New Yorkers do not drive to work. So I think catering to the majority is actually a pretty good strategy. You want to drive easily, move to Kansas City or something.

holyfrjole

Are there statistics on how many NYC households have cars? How many people in NYC with driver's licenses have cars? Regardless, 4% is a small majority and I'm not sure why you suspect drivers want to "drive easily." I'm a native NYC resident (born and raised), and not some transplanted midwesterner, so I'd prefer to stay put with my car, thanks.

Steven

Some people here just don't understand. If you're single then public transportation is great. Try taking you're a baby on the subway or bus. It's a HUGE hassle. Plus there are places people want to go which need a car. Public transportation is great, but some places and for some people it doesn't work well.

dev

they took away meters in the village...on greenwich street and hudson...added the muni meters...

what used to be a quarter for every 15 minutes is now $0.50 for 15 minutes...or $2 an hour to park.

AND, because they took the actual individual meters away, there aren't any visual guides to use when parking, so fewer cars are actually parking on the streets because people leave too much space between cars.

it's more of bloomberg's assault on drivers. he didn't get his manhattan-driving tax, so he's doing everything he can to dissuade people from driving.

dick.

hanuman

Yeah, he does his best to make it unpleasant to drive in NYC, yet with the MTA raising rates to ridiculous prices, it's starting to get real tough to get around here. He hasn't really been supportive of bikes either, so if you don't work withing walking distance of home, you're screwed. Bloomie, you suck.

dev

I think he's been too supportive of bikes...initially with the bike lanes, and now with the concrete-barricaded bike lanes--like the ones on 9th Ave and Hudson around Horatio...they're a pain in the ass for cars.

Past Taliban

Woke up this morning and discovered a parking meter next to my toilet.

jaycjay

"the more cars we get to turn over, the more we get shoppers running quick errands into the stores."

That might apply to restaurants, where you don't people finishing their meal and staying there occupying a table that could be turned over to someone else who is going to buy another meal. But it doesn't apply to retail businesses, where if people stay in a store longer they're more likely to buy more and there aren't normally capacity limits preventing people from entering until other shoppers leave.

So... no, Ian, you're wrong.