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By: Hellen Zaboulani
Driving into Manhattan has always had its quirks, but of late parking in the city has been more difficult than ever before.
As reported by the NY Times, there are fewer spots on the streets, fewer parking lots and higher prices. Since the pandemic, more commuters have been opting to drive into the city. The housing crisis has also left less streets spot available. The addition of bike lanes, outdoor sheds, delivery trucks and dumpsters have further crowded the streets, exasperating matters. The existing parking lots are scarce, and prices have risen beyond inflation to become in many cases as expensive-as-rent. With city real estate prices at a premium, developers are scooping up parking garages to be converted into apartment buildings. The scarcity of the remaining garages has driven up prices and wait times, and limited availability for drivers.
Parking lots prices in Manhattan are quite high. In fact, the average monthly price tag of $441, is the most expensive in the United States, per a recent study of nearly 40 big U.S. cities by FINN, a subscription car leasing company. The study found that in Tulsa, Okla , which has the country’s cheapest parking, that sum would be enough to pay for 20 months of parking. Further, some NYC locations have even higher prices, as in the Upper West Side where garages topped the list, with an average of about $650 a month.
Parking on the streets presents its own set of problems. Per the Times, this past fiscal year, the police issued 8.4 million tickets, hitting one of the highest totals on record. There are already more than 2.2 million registered vehicles in New York City, as per data from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Many more cars than that drive into the city each day, vying for the NYC’s approximately three million available parking spots. Some 8,000 of the city’s free street side parking spaces are constantly taken over by delivery hubs, bikes and dining sheds. Also, taking up curb space, the city has added approximately 2,000 CitiBike bicycle rental docks, with more on the way.
The city’s relatively cheap and sometimes free street parking is taken up in many instances by the same vehicles, whose owners have decided its better not to budge for fear of losing their prized spots. To combat this conundrum, the city is vying to raise the prices for meter parking later this month. The city hopes the higher meter prices, starting in Manhattan, will lead to more turnover. “It helps people share better,” said Rachel Weinberger, the director of research strategy at Regional Plan Association.
Aside for the inconvenience to drivers, the city would like to see less cars for several reasons. First, the vehicles emit a heavy carbon imprint, at a time when the city is trying to tackle climate change. Next, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which provides public transportation has been ailing, crushed by continuing low ridership post-pandemic. Transit and environmental advocates hold that parking on city streets and in garages should be expensive, to add incentive for people to use public transportation rather than driving in.
City Hall has little or no incentive to find a solution to the parking woes. Mayor Eric Adams recently introduced a plan to help the city’s affordable housing crisis by easing the requirement that all new developments provide parking for tenants.
