Authorizes the city of New York to provide for certain residential parking permit systems in certain neighborhoods, including but not limited to, Washington Heights, Harlem, Morningside Heights, Upper West Side, East Harlem, and Upper East Side.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5297
SPONSOR: Lasher TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing
certain residential parking permit systems in the city of New York; and
providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To authorize the City of New York to establish residential parking
permit systems in areas of the city, including but not limited to the
Washington Heights, Harlem, Morningside Heights, the Upper West Side,
East Harlem, and the Upper East Side.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the vehicle and traffic law by adding section 1640-t
authorizing the City of New York to establish residential parking permit
systems.
Section 1, Paragraph 1 authorizes the City of New York to provide for
such systems by local law or ordinance and to fix and require the
payment of applicable fees.
Section 1, Paragraph 2 authorizes the City of New York to establish such
systems within certain neighbhorhoods, including but not limited to
Washington Heights, Harlem, Morningside Heights, the Upper West Side,
East Harlem, and the Upper East Side.
Section 1, Paragraph 3 authorizes the City of New York to undertake a
study on the effectiveness of such systems.
Section 1, Paragraph 4 provides that no permit shall be required on
streets where the adjacent properties are zoned for commercial or retail
use or in metered parking spaces.
Section 1, Paragraph 5 requires that any local law or ordinance author-
izing a residential parking permit system must: outline the factors
necessitating its enaction; exempt the motor vehicles of people with
severe disabilities; provide the times of day and days of the week when
permit requirements will be in effect; and provide a schedule of fees.
Section 1, Paragraph 6 requires a public hearing before adoption of such
local law or ordinance.
Section 1, Paragraph 7 provides that this section shall not apply to any
state highway maintained by the State.
Section 2 establishes an immediate effective date and an expiration date
of December 1, 2032.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York's provision of free parking has created hunger games in neigh-
borhoods across the city. Endless circling and resulting vehicle emis-
sions are the result. Meanwhile, residents struggle to find parking near
their homes.
Residential parking permit systems have the potential to make more
accessible for local residents. A well-designed system could help regu-
late street space to improve parking access for residents, reduce air
pollution and emissions from circling cars, limit congestion on residen-
tial streets, and address economic and racial equity concerns.
Many other major cities, both nationally and internationally, have
implemented residential parking permit systems to regulate parking and
traffic flow - and have seen benefits both for neighborhood residents
and, in terms of cleaner air and reduced congestion, for their broader
populations.
This legislation also provides for community feedback on the design of
any system, and for a study to assess its impact. As a result, enactment
of this legislation would provide relief from New York City's parking
crunch as well as important insights and understanding that can inform
better parking policy going forward.
Perhaps most fundamentally, this legislation delegates to the state's
largest city power that should properly reside locally. The bill merely
authorizes the City of New York to establish residential parking permit
systems. It contains no requirement that the City do so. If the City
chooses to exercise the authority this bill would grant, its Department
of Transportation, a government agency with significant professional
expertise, would design any system to meet the needs of the neighbor-
hoods in which it was effectuated. There is no reason that the State
should be an obstacle to the City's implementation of programs to manage
parking on its streets.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.10723 (2022-23): Referred to the Transportation Committee.
A.02784 (2023-24): Referred to the Transportation Committee.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Potential revenue for the City of New York.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire December 1,
2032, when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed
repealed, provided that any such local law or ordinance enacted pursuant
to this act shall remain in full force and effect only until December 1,
2032.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5297
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 12, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LASHER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing
certain residential parking permit systems in the city of New York;
and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration there-
of
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
2 section 1640-t to read as follows:
3 § 1640-t. Residential parking systems in the city of New York. 1.
4 Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, the city of
5 New York may, by adoption of a local law or ordinance, provide for
6 certain residential parking permit systems and fix and require the
7 payment of fees applicable to parking within the area of the city in
8 which such parking systems are in effect in accordance with the
9 provisions of this section.
10 2. Such residential parking permit systems may be established within
11 that area of the city of New York within certain neighborhoods, includ-
12 ing but not limited to, Washington Heights, Harlem, Morningside Heights,
13 Upper West Side, East Harlem, and Upper East Side.
14 3. The city of New York may undertake a study on the effectiveness of
15 such programs on parking access taking into consideration:
16 (a) Traffic flow and parking availability in the areas immediately
17 surrounding the central business district;
18 (b) Equity issues and household income in relation to the cost of
19 parking permits; and
20 (c) Environmental impact of emissions and air pollution.
21 4. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no permit shall be required on
22 streets where the adjacent properties are zoned for commercial or retail
23 use or in metered parking spaces.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02816-01-5
A. 5297 2
1 5. The local law or ordinance providing for such residential parking
2 systems shall:
3 (a) set forth the factors necessitating the enactment of such parking
4 systems;
5 (b) provide that motor vehicles registered pursuant to section four
6 hundred four-a of this chapter shall be exempt from any permit require-
7 ment;
8 (c) provide the times of the day and days of the week during which
9 permit requirements shall be in effect; and
10 (d) provide the schedule of fees to be paid for such permits.
11 6. No ordinance shall be adopted pursuant to this section until a
12 public hearing thereon has been had in the same manner as required for
13 public hearings on a local law pursuant to the municipal home rule law.
14 7. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any state highway
15 maintained by the state.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire December
17 1, 2032, when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed
18 repealed, provided that any such local law or ordinance enacted pursuant
19 to this act shall remain in full force and effect only until December 1,
20 2032.
