Why isn’t most NYC parking free? The street is public property, right?

If all street parking were free, then many people wouldn’t move their cars and people wouldn’t be able to find an empty spot. So charging for on-street parking is a way to manage the supply and demand, plus generate revenue for NYC to maintain the city. And since street parking is highly sought after, NYC can charge for it based on its value to drivers.

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When it comes to NYC parking, you have three choices: the first two are a non-metered, free parking space on the street, or try to find a vacant metered space. If that fails, there are 1,100 NYC parking garages in Manhattan alone that will take your car, make sure it isn’t stolen or damaged, and charge you appropriately for it.

But we found at least 20 ways to save on both NYC street and NYC garage parking. If you think of any more ways, let us know!

NYC Street Parking

1.) Non-Metered Streets: there are many streets in residential areas where there is free parking on the street. Usually in the E 60s and above, or the W 70s and above.
2.) Park on Sundays: On Sundays, NYC parking meter rules are suspended so you don’t have to feed the meter.
3.) Don’t Park near a Fire Hydrant: This will save you $115 on a NYC fire hydrant ticket.
4.) Park after 7pm: Most meters do not require payment after 7pm.
5.) Watch the No Stopping, No Standing, No Parking Signs: A NYC parking ticket can cost you anywhere from $90 – $150. Check the rules in the chart to the right.
6.) Pay the Meter: If you don’t pay the meter, a NYC parking ticket will cost you $35 – $65.

NYC Garage Parking

1.) Early Bird Special: Most off-street NYC garages will offer a lower rate if you enter before 10am and exit by 6 or 7pm.
2.) Evening Special: Enter after 4 or 5pm, exit by midnight.
3.) Park Farther From the Center: NYC Garages are more expensive closer to the middle of Manhattan from Lexington – 7th Ave. Lower rates will be from 1st – 3rd Aves and 8th – 12th Aves (theater district may not follow this norm).
4.) Use an Outdoor Lot: Many outdoor lots are a little less expensive than indoor garages, particularly for monthly customers.
5.) Use Flat Rate Coupons: A number of NYC garages now offer flat rates for 6, 12, and 24 hours. These rates are less expensive than the hourly rates. Central Parking, QuikPark, and Icon Parking offer these coupons.
6.) Be a Monthly Customer: More garages are offering Customer Loyalty Programs with discounts on daily parking if you are a Monthly Parking Customer. Central Parking, GGMC, QuikPark, Edison Parking, and Icon Parking all offer their monthly parking customers this benefit.
7.) Leave Your Key: If you forget to leave your key in the car, the garage may charge up from $25 to the full towing fee.
8.) Daily Coupons: Some garages have even better NYC parking rates for daily parking on their websites.
Weekend Special: Many garages will offer a lower rate for daytime parking on Saturday and Sunday.
9.) Drive a Smaller Vehicle: 92% of NYC garages will charge $10 – $15 extra if you drive an SUV or an oversized vehicle.
10.) Mobile Coupons: Central Parking gives up to 50% discount on daily parking through its mobile app.
11.) Event Rate: Park farther away from a stadium or theater when there is a major event so you don’t have to pay the special event rate.
12.) Don’t Stay Overnight: Some garages will charge the more expensive overnight rate if you stay after 5 – 6am and don’t use a flat rate coupon.
13.) Read Your Claim Check: Confirm that the time stamped on your claim check is the actual time you started parking.

Information for NYC parking for disabled persons: getting a vehicle license plate for disabled persons, parking permit for disabled persons, parking for disabled people.

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Who is eligible for vehicle plates for NYC parking for disabled persons or a parking permit for disabled persons?

The NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law defines the permanent disabilities that qualify. If you have a permanent disability that qualifies, you can get vehicle plates for reserved parking from the DMV or a parking permit from your local government. It is illegal to park in a parking space reserved for persons with disabilities if you do not have the correct vehicle plates or parking permit. You can use the vehicle plates or parking permit in New York State and in most other states.

How do I get a parking permit for disabled persons?

You and your healthcare provider can complete the application form MV-664.1. You also can have your healthcare provider (MD, DO, DPM, or NP) complete a statement on their letterhead. The statement must describe the disabling condition and verify that the disability qualifies according to the law. Bring the form or statement to the issuing agency in your locality (normally the office of your city clerk, town clerk or village clerk). There is no fee for a permit. Remember that the DMV does not issue the parking permits.

How do I get vehicle plates for the disabled?

* Bring the proof of your disability (either form MV-664.1 or the statement from your healthcare provider) and current vehicle plates to any DMV office.
* Bring your proof of identity.
* Complete the application form, pay $18.75, and surrender your current vehicle plates. Remove frames and fasteners before you surrender a vehicle plate or vehicle plates. The DMV office will not accept a vehicle plate with a frame or any fasteners attached.
* Vehicle plates for disabled persons are issued only for vehicles registered in the name of the disabled person.
* Each disabled person can have one set of vehicle plates.

How much is the fine for someone who parks in a parking space or an access aisle reserved for disabled persons?

– $50 to $75 for a first offense
– $75 to 150 for a second offense
– The locality can add to the amount of these fines. The law also allows police officers to tow and store illegally-parked vehicles.

How is the number of reserved parking spaces for disabled persons determined?

A locality can establish a local law or ordinance to reserve parking spaces on a street and install the signs. Municipalities do not have control over the assignment of parking spaces in private parking lots, but many facilities provide their own reserved parking. If you have a question about reserved parking for disabled persons on a specific street, determine if the street is part of county, city, town, village or state property. Then contact the correct officials for that locality. Shopping centers that include five or more retail stores are also required to provide and reserved parking spaces for disabled customers.

Is reserved parking for people with disabilities available in New York City?

New York City (NYC) issues parking permits and vehicle plates for disabled persons to its residents, but there are no reserved spaces in NYC. If you have questions about reserved parking for disabled persons in NYC, contact the NYC Department of Transportation, Bureau of Traffic.

What is a metered parking waiver and how do I get one?

From the DMV web site, you can download the information form and the Application for Metered Parking Waiver for Persons with Severe Disabilities (Forms MV-664.1 and MV-664.2)

The DMV does not issue metered parking waivers. The same agency that issues parking permits for the disabled in your locality also issues the metered parking waivers.

The NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law does not allow New York City to issue metered parking waivers to NYC residents, and the New York City Department of Transportation does not issue metered parking waivers.

Margot Tohn of Park It spends her day coming up with ways to make driving, parking and walking in NYC easier. Check out her musings at www.parkitnyc.com.

New Yorkers can stop complaining about the cost of NYC street parking, at least for a few minutes. The news just came in that Vancouver street parking is actually the most expensive street parking in North America, at $5.75 per hour.

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But NYC and Chicago are close behind at $5.00, and then San Francisco at $4.25.

And if you overstay your NYC parking meter? Then you, along with folks in San Francisco, will be paying the highest amount for your NYC parking ticket, at $65 each.

The survey, done by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, showed that:

Hourly Parking Meter Rates

1. Vancouver — $5.75 (lowest rate is 1.00)

2. New York City & Chicago — $5.00 ( NYC’s Greenwich Village is highest while lowest rate is $2.50 in downtown, Chicago’s lowest rate is $1.50)

4. San Francisco — $4.25 (lowest rate is $.75)

Parking Ticket Fines

1. San Francisco & New York City — $65

42. St. Louis, Champagn — $10

The long debate is over — women are better at parking than men!

Who Finds a Parking Space Quicker?

Women are better at finding a parking space. They’re more patient and drive a little slower while looking, so they’re better equipped to glimpse that empty spot or see when someone is about to leave a parking space. Disclosure: this study focused on public parking garages, not street parking.

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Who Has a Better Pre-Parking Pose?

It’s all in the preparation. If you start out correctly, then it’s really easy to park perfectly and impress all those around you. But if you try to wing it, then you’ll be going between Drive and Reverse enough times to embarrass yourself. Once again, women ranked higher in this category with 77% scoring ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’ vs 53% of the men getting the thumbs up.

Back Into the Spot or Just Drive Right In?

Even before the women started parking, nearly 40% of them knew they were going to use Instructor Approved ‘Rear Entry Method’ to get into the parking space. Only 28% of the men chose this method, leaving the other 72% to tackle the parking space head on.

Who Gets in the Parking Space the Fastest?

The men were definitely faster, getting their vehicles parked in 16 seconds. The women took 21 seconds. If we park our cars about 3 times a day, and drive for about 50 years, that could mean that women spend 12 days just parking. Men? They get away with just 9 days.

Drive, Reverse, Drive, Reverse

It’s called the ‘Reposition Shuffle’ when you go back and forth between Drive and Reverse to get into the parking space. Who does is more? Women weren’t happy with their first attempt and 56% of them did the shuffle to get better positioned. The men were much happier with their efforts, and only 29% of them felt the need to keep moving the vehicle.

Where Does the Car End Up?

This study gave the highest importance to the cars being parking ‘Centrally’ in the allotted space. Women did this just over half of the time, whereas the men — who got into the space quicker and wanted out, had a ‘Central Finish’ only 25% of the time.

*Study was conducted by National Car Parks (NCP) in the UK, by studying CCTV footage of 453 drivers parking in public parking garages and another 2,000 drivers. The parking spaces were 90 degree stalls, perpendicular to the driving lanes.

Margot Tohn of Park It spends her day coming up with ways to make driving, parking and walking in NYC easier. Check out her musings at www.parkitnyc.com.

Yes, it can be done! With the expert advice and help of New York Parking Ticket, I beat a NYC parking ticket for “No Standing”. Here’s what happened:

On October 16, 2011, I parked on Greenwich Street in lower Manhattan. I, along with a lawyer, read the parking signs for about 5 minutes before we decided that it was fine to park there on a Sunday afternoon. The immediate area had a series of NYC parking signs including:

– No Standing 6AM – 10AM Except Sunday
– No Standing Except Buses, Metered Parking 3 hr Limit 10AM – 3PM Except Sunday
– Bus Layover Zone, No Standing Except Authorized Buses, 3PM – 7Pm Except Sunday
– No Standing Except Trucks Loading & Unloading 6AM – 10AM Except Sunday
– 3PM – 7Pm Except Sunday
– Other Times No Standing Anytime

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To make it even more confusing, some of the signs were in red and others were in white. In NYC, a street parking sign’s level of importance uses the colors Red, White, and then Blue, with Red being the most important to follow.

New York Parking Ticket advised me to take many pictures of the area where I parked and include all the NYC parking signs, street name signs, markings on the street, nearby intersections, and anything else I felt would help prove my case.

Then New York Parking Ticket drafted an affidavit explaining:

1.) Where I had parked,
2.) What my NYC parking violation was for,
3.) Which parking signs were relevant to me,
4.) Why I felt the parking ticket was not justified, and
5.) Requested that the parking violation be dismissed.

I had the letter notarized and mailed it Return Receipt so I had proof of sending and receipt.

I also included a photo showing that the street parking sign could have been addressing the street it is on, or the street perpendicular to the sign.

My Decision and Order letter from the City of New York Department of Finance dismissing the NYC parking violation says:

‘Respondent claims that there was no sign posted where the vehicle was parked. Respondent’s claim is supported by persuasive documentary evidence, clear corner to corner photos as well as credible testimony that there were numerous sign posts without signs attached and no sign matching the one cited on the summons posted anywhere on the block’.

How’s that for a NYC parking ticket success story!

Margot Tohn of Park It spends her day coming up with ways to make driving, parking and walking in NYC easier. Check out her musings at www.parkitnyc.com.

Tired of driving around NYC for street parking? It might get easier, with NYC testing out sensors that will tell you — on your smartphone — if a NYC street parking space is vacant or available. Right now, the test is happening at 177 street parking spaces at E 187th St & Belmont in the Bronx. The test is to see if these street sensors can withstand a NYC winter of snow and street cleaners. If that goes well, then NYC plans to implement a full test.

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Do we like this idea?

PROS

– You can find a vacant spot and beat other people to it.
– Based on how the technology works, we all could find parking quicker, decrease congestion from all that driving around, and reduce pollution from car exhaust.

CONS

– You could get a NYC parking ticket for using your phone to check the street parking. That could cost you up to $100 and even points on your license for a ‘Distracted Driving’ ticket.
– Depending on how many other people are looking for NYC street parking, that vacant space could become occupied right after you see it’s vacant, so you’ll be driving around even more looking for parking.

Read the full article in the NY Daily News

Margot Tohn of Park It spends her day coming up with ways to make driving, parking and walking in NYC easier. Check out her musings at www.parkitnyc.com.

Brought to you by Park It! NYC

Going to the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Here’s what you need to know about watching the parade and parking.

Parade Route

The parade starts at 9am from Central Park West and 77th Street and goes down Central Park West to Columbus Circle at 59th St. It takes a left on to Central Park South (59th St), then goes down 7th Avenue to 42nd Street. The parade then goes left on 42nd St to 6th Avenue, then down 6th Avenue to 34th Street. Once on 34th St, travels along 34th Street to Macy’s Herald Square.

Where to Park

Ulltra Car Park — 359 9th Avenue @ 30th Street. Outdoor lot. $14 enter by 10am & exit by 7pm, $22 for 10 hours to midnight, $30 for 24 hours or overnight, $10 extra for Vans & SUVs.

Central Parking — 147 W 83rd St & 157 W 83rd St, between Columbus and Amsterdam. $27 for 6 hours, $32 for 12 hours. Print the coupon here to get these rates. Oversized vehicles may have a surcharge.

QuikPark — 305 W 46th St and 328 W 56th St bet 8th & 9th Aves, W 68th & W 70th bet Freedom Place & Riverside Blvd. $30 flat rate at all locations. Oversized vehicles may have a surcharge.

Since the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is on the West side of Manhattan, your best NYC parking garage deals will be either on the East Side or way West. Most of the NYC parking garages will have an Event Rate on Thanksgiving Day ranging from $30 – $55. Look for:

Early Bird Special near 1st or 2nd Aves from 55th – 80th Sts, then walk or take a crosstown bus to Central Park West. Early Bird Specials will range from $12 – $20, and you have to be in the garage by 9 – 11am and leave usually by early evening. Check out the $14 rate below.

Flat Day Rates farther West, near 11th or 12th Aves.

Park on the Street, because NYC parking meters and Alternate Side Parking regulations are not in effect. But watch those NYC parking signs — if the sign says ‘No Stopping, No Standing, or No Parking Anytime’, then you cannot park there.

Stay Tuned! We’re Waiting for more NYC Parking Garages to Give us their Special Thanksgiving Day Rates!

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Public Viewing Areas

• Central Park West: West side of street from 70th St to Columbus Circle & east side of street from 70th to 65th
• Columbus Circle: West side of street
• 7th Ave: between 58th & 42nd Sts
• 42nd St: from 7th to 6th Aves
• 6th Ave: between 42nd & 34th Sts
• 34th St: south side of street between Broadway & 7th Ave

Watch the Balloons Getting Blown up on Wednesday Night

A long-standing tradition is the annual blowing up of the massive balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It goes from 3am – 10pm on Wednesday, November 23rd near the American Museum of Natural History just off Central Park West between 77th St. and 81st St.

Check out the Official Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade site.

Margot Tohn of Park It spends her day coming up with ways to make driving, parking and walking in NYC easier. Check out her musings at www.parkitnyc.com.

Our fantastic friends over at New York Parking Ticket blew us away with this news. Mayor Bloomberg has rejected five proposals that would ensure NYC parking tickets are issued correctly. New York Parking Ticket put together this fabulous chart of the proposed changes put forth by the NY City Council Transportation Committee. Only the last one was approved by Mayor Bloomberg.

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Ticket Agent has to photograph the vehicle — OK, we agree that this seems a bit onerous. NYPD officers would have to carry a camera and document each photo.

Suspending Alternate Side Parking regulations when film crews are on the Street – this will let people actually park when a film crew is taking up street parking spots. Given that NYC charges film production companies to use the street, that could offset the potential revenue from parking fines. On the other hand, it could really mess up the street cleaning schedule.

Adding Bar Codes to parking Placards — this seems to make a lot of sense to us. If a NYC Parking Placard is valid, then what’s the harm in confirming it on-site? The major drawback is the NYC Traffic Agents would have to carry handheld scanners or readers to read the barcode. That’s expensive. And who is to say that someone with a Parking Placard shouldn’t be parking somewhere? There are 118,000 NYC Parking Placards issued to police, government officials, and clergy. These placards let the user park almost anywhere. Last year the city issued 30,000 summonses for invalid placards, according to CBS News.

Judges have to dismiss a NYC parking ticket if the parker can show a valid muni-meter receipt — we have to say, this seems fair. Sometimes you place the NYC muni meter receipt on your dashboard correctly and it just blows away, or turns over, when you shut your car door.

Give a 1 Day Parking Permit for People who are Moving — what do you think about this? We’d need to see data on how many NYC parking violations are issued for people who are moving.

Get rid of Late Fees until 30 Days after a Final Judgment –we agree, and so did Mayor Bloomberg. After all, why should you be penalized if the NYC Traffic System is making a decision?

Margot Tohn of Park It spends her day coming up with ways to make driving, parking and walking in NYC easier. Check out her musings at www.parkitnyc.com.