New Parking Creepers on 7th Avenue

charlesbklyn · February 2008

Looks like in the early morning hours today, the DOT is again attempting to put parking meters between 11-15th streets and 7th Avenue. This is their third attempt. The last one was done without the proper procedure and nullified.

This part of 7th avenue, I believe, is better without these meters. The streets are calmer, cleaner and more like part of the "neighborhood" as opposed to the other part of 7th avenue - dirty and chaotic.

Once again, the city is taking away the quality of life for a few dollars more ... congestion pricing, higher water bills, higher taxes, tickets, tickets and more tickets, Atlantic Yards, 4th Avenue high-rises, street re-direction, etc ...

If you were not aware, the city has been taking liberties with Park Slope for many years now ... its pathetic. When will the madness end? Maybe when Park Slope is completely transformed into a hollow shell of a former great neighborhood.

And I will take issue to anyone responding with "businesses needs the parking" or its for the common good ... metered parking has never been proven to increase business, and the common good incorporates more than just money for the city. The city would have plenty of money if they weren't giving it away to special interests, such as developers, and professional teams.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big supporter of small businesses (Another group completely left out of the city's ecomonic formula). I am just tired of Park Slope being a pawn in the big game.

Parking Meters? Creepers.
Charlesbklyn

charlesbklyn · February 2008

Subject: Followup - THE NEW 7th AVENUE

My complaining is useless. They did it the old fashioned way, when no one was watching. For anyone interested, this is what Community Board 6 knows:

The Department of Transportation is under no legal obligation to notify affected property owners, residents, etc. of the installation of parking meters. We did receive a notice from them, which was announced at our last Transportation Committee meeting and last general meeting, but did not seem to get picked up by any local papers for broader attention.

There will be new parking regulations that will accompany the meters which will allow the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to sweep this stretch of 7th Avenue six times a week instead of the current two. DSNY has prepared a comprehensive plan to change our street sweeping for our district and included in those plans are changes to 7th Avenue that will include:

*instead of being swept twice a week, the entire length of 7th Avenue will be swept 6 times a week, and
*two 1/2 hour regulations: Instead of prohibiting parking on both sides of the street from 8-9am, the Eastside will be swept 8:30-9am, and the Westside (Flatbush-9th) will be swept 7:30-8am & Westside (9th-15th) will be swept 8-8:30am.

In addition, on the residential blocks we should expect to see the following changes:
*all 3-hour regulations (8-11am or 11am-2pm) will be condensed to 90-minute regulations
*all blocks in the district will be swept twice a week (the ones below 4th Avenue are currently swept four times a week)

We're not exactly certain when the new signs will be posted, but DSNY did transmit the order to the Department of Transportation to change all of our street signs on November 22, 2007. We are awaiting word from either DSNY or DOT that they will be changing our signs, which will likely be done in sections at a time.

belzjm · February 2008

i'm confused....in your first post you complain about 7th avenue being dirty (which i don't agree with) and in your second you are complaining that 7th is going to be cleaned more frequently??

i happen to think meters on 7th is a great idea. i don't see what your beef is. 7th is a commercial strip. it is for the community to shop and do errands...not just for you to use for your own personal parking spot.

old time brooklyn · February 2008

Interesting. I like the "feel" down in the South Slope and I could see that being changed by meters. Whether it's better or worse for the community, for business, I can't say.

charlesbklyn · February 2008

Subject: The New Road Funnel

Streets without parking meters are always cleaner, calmer, safer, in general ... and so opening up the avenue streets b/w 11-15th streets on seventh to meters will make it more dirty, period. RIght now, its ten times nicer than the parts of seventh avenue that do have meters.

I don't mind a cleaner NYC, but if you think the DOT is going to solve the trash all-over-the-place issue, you haven't been in NYC long enough. Go to LA, and then tell me NYC isn't a flithy, dirty place. Open your eyes.

Person parking spaces? We don't have those here unless you have property with a parking space or pay for a garage. Public parking is tied to the general public's use of public space, freedom to travel and the right to use the space in your community jointly. Its called a public parking space, for the public, you know?

I feel like the city is taking some of our community's property (yes, specifically people with cars, which happens to be many people who own property and have lived here a long time), and they didn't even really ask. Last time they asked, by the way, the community said absolute not.

The problem is, sometimes when something isn't broke, you don't fix it.
The city is going to turn Park Slope into a road funnel for Atlantic Yard commerce, traffic and high denisity living. Great! All this time I thought we were building a neighborhood.
Charlesbklyn

belzjm · February 2008

i don't think the city should cater to drivers any more than they already do, personally.

if you are inconvenienced by the new rules, take the subway, walk or ride a bicycle.

atlantic yards hasn't even been built yet, so i really don't think that it particularly affects putting in meters at 7 avenue and 11th street.

park slope is still a wonderful neighborhood. i don't think we should overract that say that it's being used as a pawn by the city, when we all know that park slope does quite well by the city. probably a lot better than most areas.

longtimesloper · February 2008

Hmm-so now I am going to have to pay a quarter to park for a half hour or an hour further up on 7th Avenue? and, I should be outraged by this?

I must be missing something because i just don't see the big deal here.

rtraindweller · February 2008

belzjm wrote:
if you are inconvenienced by the new rules, take the subway, walk or ride a bicycle.

word.

magpie · February 2008

Subject: PLEASE NO METERS

I cannot believe that they are taking away the few precious parking spots available in the area. It can't be for business, because we, the residents, shop at these stores. What I see on the metered part of 7th Ave is many business owners parking by their stores before 9AM when parking is allowed, and just feeding the meters all day. I work to work around this time and really do see this. It can't be for cleanliness, because 7th Ave is cleaned Thurs and Fri for alternate side parking above 9th St. I don't see the street sweepers between 8AM and 9AM daily when the existing meters on 7th Ave are in effect, so what is the point? It is torture to park in Park Slope. I take the subway/bus, but my car has to be parked somewhere! How does it help to take mass transit if first I have to drive around for up to an hour to look for parking? The powers that be have let development run rampant with no thought to what it is doing to the rest of us. I feel the quality of life is diminished. Is the community board really representing us? Is there any actions that can be taken to stop this? Please post any ideas, Thanks

daver · February 2008

Subject: Re: PLEASE NO METERS

magpie wrote: It is torture to park in Park Slope. I take the subway/bus, but my car has to be parked somewhere! How does it help to take mass transit if first I have to drive around for up to an hour to look for parking? The powers that be have let development run rampant with no thought to what it is doing to the rest of us. I feel the quality of life is diminished. Is the community board really representing us? Is there any actions that can be taken to stop this? Please post any ideas, Thanks

I'm having a hard time choking down that reducing parking spaces diminishes the quality of life. In fact, I might argue the opposite.

Seriously. I take mass transit and never have to look for a parking space for an hour. Because I decided that since I could take mass transit I didn't need a car. Most folks I know that have a car but regularly take mass transit garage their car somewhere, since they don't use it daily. They consider it part of the cost of car ownership in NYC.

tomzda · February 2008

Subject: Re: The New Road Funnel

charlesbklyn wrote: Streets without parking meters are always cleaner, calmer, safer, in general ... and so opening up the avenue streets b/w 11-15th streets on seventh to meters will make it more dirty, period.

I don't understand what you are basing this on. Most streets with parking meters are commercial streets with more traffic than residential streets so of course they are dirtier. I don't think meters make a difference in the level of cleanliness.

kosherdave · February 2008

I don't have a car, so I'm not concerned with parking, but I don't understand how parking meters = increased filth?

I'm open to thoughts on this though. I'd like to know how they do, if in fact they do, cause a place to become less safe, less calm and more dirty.

And I'd take NYC over LA any day, dirty or not, but that's just me.

meredithb · February 2008

I'm all for parking meters. I do think they should be more expensive though. And I'd like to see the meter maids start marking tires so that a person can't feed the meter all day long.

charlesbklyn · February 2008

Subject: Based on Direct Knowledge

I don't understand what you are basing this on. Most streets with parking meters are commercial streets with more traffic than residential streets so of course they are dirtier. I don't think meters make a difference in the level of cleanliness.

I base the idea that "streets without meters are cleaner, calmer and safer" on THIRTY YEARS of watching 7th Avenue, Park Slope and NYC in general, transform and develop. I have also cleaned my share of gutters on 7th Avenue. A street with regular parking, especially an avenue street, benefits from the increased stability of parked cars. It has made this section of 7th avenue more connected with the surrounding residential streets, and it has made it cleaner, calmer and safer.

This is one more part, of the tearing apart, of Brooklyn for the benefit of massive developments subsidized and facilitated by the city of New York. Does everyone realize this traffic "revamp" is for the Atlantic Yard development, a government subsidized luxury housing and corporate outlet project passed without due process of law? Tools. It saddens me people don't know what is going on around them.

brooklyngigcenter · February 2008

A WHOLE LOT of people are going to be upset this morning when they get to their cars and see the tickets. Everyone who's parked by the not-yet-installed meters received tix for parking on 7th Ave between 8:00 and 8:30 or from 8:30 to 9:00, depending on the side. I'm sure they'll get dismissed, but it still sucks.

meredithb · February 2008

BrooklynGigCenter wrote: A WHOLE LOT of people are going to be upset this morning when they get to their cars and see the tickets. Everyone who's parked by the not-yet-installed meters received tix for parking on 7th Ave between 8:00 and 8:30 or from 8:30 to 9:00, depending on the side. I'm sure they'll get dismissed, but it still sucks.

What do meters have to do with alternate side of the street parking? There is alternate side of the street parking where there are meters in most places.

brooklyngigcenter · February 2008

It's not alt side, it's street cleaning regs. They want the street cleared before the meters go into effect at 9:00am so they can sweep/clean the street. So pretty much between 8 and 9 you've got to have your car moved.

meredithb · February 2008

BrooklynGigCenter wrote: It's not alt side, it's street cleaning regs. They want the street cleared before the meters go into effect at 9:00am so they can sweep/clean the street. So pretty much between 8 and 9 you've got to have your car moved.

Yeah so? This happens all over NYC. What? Park Slopers shouldn't be inconvenienced?

magpie · February 2008

Subject: NO PARKING + TICKETS =MONEY FOR BLOOMBERG

As I've said before, I am on 7th Ave daily between 8-9AM and I do not see the street being cleaned, so what is the point of having no parking by meters between 8-9 AM? We have now lost 63 parking spots. For me, it is not a matter of clean streets. It is a matter of parking. If you double park near your house to unload grocieries, you get a ticket. Now if you parked before they put the signs up on 7th Ave WITHOUT the meters being there, you get a ticket. I saw everyone on the street getting tickets. This is all about collecting more money, and not about anything else. I still would like to know the input from Community Board about all this.

friendlypitbull · February 2008

Subject: Re: Based on Direct Knowledge

charlesbklyn wrote:
This is one more part, of the tearing apart, of Brooklyn for the benefit of massive developments subsidized and facilitated by the city of New York. Does everyone realize this traffic "revamp" is for the Atlantic Yard development, a government subsidized luxury housing and corporate outlet project passed without due process of law? Tools. It saddens me people don't know what is going on around them.

Before you call everyone "tools" and ignorant of "what is going on" please explain to us your theory that ties a yet to be started AY project with Parking meters being added to a 4 block stretch of a totally commercial 7th Avenue.

Because it seems pretty clear to me that the purpose of the meters is to free up parking for the commercial business, allow for more street cleaning on a growing retail corridor and to raise a little bit of $ from USERS of public property for PRIVATE parking. But you have an alternate theory - so I'd like to hear it.

restassured · February 2008

Subject: Re: The New Road Funnel

charlesbklyn wrote: Go to LA, and then tell me NYC isn't a flithy, dirty place. Open your eyes.

Having grown up in LA, I can say with some confidence that its sidewalks might appear cleaner due to the fact that its pedestrian traffic is a mere fraction of New York's. The two aren't really that comparable. There are also countless parking meters in Los Angeles, so I can't see the point you're making. Illuminate?

redmolly · February 2008

Subject: 7th ave. parking in the south slope - ticket and recourse?

hello there -

i was one of the poor slobs who got hit with a parking ticket monday morning, 2/11....i noticed the poles going up, but since there weren't any meters actually on the poles, i figured i've got time left - not noticing the new signs. when did these go up? 3am the night before??

anyway, i called bill de blasio's office (city council) to voice my complaint, and spoke to a woman named michal who said they're working on trying to get the meters taken down. she was very helpful, and said to fax in the ticket with a letter supporting the argument of being blindsided with the new regulation. office #: 718-854-9791.

personally, i live right on 7th ave., and will miss having a space to put my car, especially since so many of the side streets near me have a lot less parking due to all the condo developments going up. i don't have much issue with meters on 7th ave., if they help the local businesses, that in turn makes for a better community.

cars in NYC are a luxury. i get that, despite that i drive a car that's 18 years old. it's the being blindsided that gets me. and yes, i'm old enough to know that life's not fair. :evil:

molly

brooklyngigcenter · February 2008

Also, I've noticed that the spots at these new meters are largely empty, especially at night. Which really stinx, becuase according to a survey they published last year, up to 80% of the traffic in the Slope is just driving around, looking for parking. :evil:

charlesbklyn · February 2008

Subject: Fear is the mind killer

Also, I've noticed that the spots at these new meters are largely empty, especially at night. Which really stinks, because according to a survey they published last year, up to 80% of the traffic in the Slope is just driving around, looking for parking.

I have noticed this too ... I believe the absolute fear of getting a ticket at 8:00am makes it not worth the risk. (Probably $115). Makes you think if the DOT is just stating whatever is necessary push for the city's agenda of opening Park Slope and the surrounding areas wide open to heavy residential and commercial development. Can anyone say another bank on 7th avenue? Perhapse they know something we don't ,,,

And this backs up my general point that the city is taking away, piece by piece, the community's once esteemed neighborhood character and value. I only wish people could step outside their own individual lives and realize the middle class is getting the used, plain and simple.

Here is a list, for those who don't know.
1) Atlantic Yards (10000 more people, hight rises, no due process, no plan for the sewage from these 10000+ tolet bowls. Gowanus will smell for the next century, guaranted)
2) Higher taxes on water and property
3) Unlimited supply of tickets to small business and car owners
4) No real support for small business/facilitation of corp. stores w/ taxpayer subsidies
5) Eminent domain
6) Unlimited construction/weak zoning laws created especially for private development companies (Look at the monsters on 4th avenue ... what a way to bring this community closer together ... start by creating a shadow on I.S. 51 ... it's all for the children, right?)
7) ETC, etc, etc ...

Wake up Park Slope! Before its too late.

Charlesbklyn
PkSlp

jamzer · February 2008

I think parking meters are a perfectly appropriate thing for a commercial street like 7th Avenue. Yes - the city does it to raise revenue, but I would rather have car owners (like me) pay a little more to park then to raise taxes.

Park Slope has a lot of challenges with absorbing new development and the stresses it is putting on its infrastructure and quality of life, but parking meters are not the cause of the problem. Lets keep things in perspective. This sounds like a personal ax grinding.

New Parking Creepers on 7th Avenue

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