Thursday, April 28, 2011

Let's check in with the New York City Council President about how much parking is enough

Chrtistine Quinn, New York City Council President and representative of Community Board 3 in Manhattan, recently had this to say about parking in New York City:
"We in the Council have heard time and time again that people don't even want to bother with owning a car in New York City because of the excessive rules -- excessive and confusing rules -- that come with parking," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who said it's time to make it easier to have a car in the city.

Not to be outdone, that quote is followed by:
City Council member Brad Lander echoed her sentiments.

"Author Calvin Trillin once joked that 'You can park your car on the streets of New York, or you can have a full-time job -- but you can't possibly do both,'" Lander said. "Unfortunately, for too many New Yorkers, this is all too close to reality. This new legislation would help solve this problem while still keeping our streets clean."

This is, to put it mildly, exactly the wrong approach the city should be taking, but as the city reviews it's parking policies these attitudes are prevalent throughout the process. NYC is doing just fine with limited parking. Considering Quinn's interest in affordable housing, her interest in increasing parking will only make housing more expensive, and the added traffic will degrade the quality of life her constituents enjoy. Besides, we all know the reason people come to New York from all over the globe is to enjoy our fine municipal parking facilities.

(H/T Nick Klein)

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