Millman’s Statement Regarding Residential Permit Parking

March 12, 2008

Brooklyn – Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman issued the following statement in response to the Mayor’s press conference this morning in Boerum Hill to announce the creation of a residential permit parking plan:

I thank Mayor Bloomberg for his leadership in addressing the problems that New York City will confront in the decades ahead. Ignoring the economically crippling and environmentally harmful traffic congestion because it is too daunting of a challenge or passing this problem onto the next generation is unacceptable.

While we may disagree on what kind of traffic congestion mitigation plan we should implement, we all agree that we must proactively address this problem. We also agree that we must take two important steps before any plan is implemented. The first step is to improve mass transit. The second step is residential permit parking. Reducing commuter parking in residential neighborhoods is a necessary precursor to any traffic congestion reduction plan. I am disappointed the Mayor has chosen to link residential permit parking to his congestion pricing plan. A residential permit parking plan should be developed independently of any traffic congestion mitigation plan; too many neighborhoods need this plan.

With that being said, the devil, as they say, is in the details. I have many questions regarding this plan and I hope there will be lots of answers before this plan is rolled-out. To begin with, how much will this plan cost? Will there be increasing fees for households with multiple cars? Will guest permits be available for visitors? What about overnight permit parking? How much flexibility will neighborhoods truly have to develop an individualized plan to best suit its needs?

We need these details worked out because a poorly-executed plan, especially one without community input, is worse than no plan at all.

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