OPINIONS
End Of Days
FINALLY!, the end of the summer
parking season is upon us. Wherever you look around the west end of the
peninsula you see the sad consequences of the maddeningly restrictive parking
rules that torment our lives every May to September; cars parked on front lawns
of dying grass, entire lawns paved over with concrete to create mini parking
lots, treeless tree wells paved over or flattened so they don't restrict access
to parking a car in front of the front stoops or porch, a proliferation of curb
cuts both legal and illegal, ticketed cars of forgetful residents on Saturday
mornings, and poor souls schlepping groceries in their arms and carts from
far-away parking spots. The list of these environmental insults and needless
aggravations go on and on. Then, you see endless blocks of empty curb space
every weekend (and lets not forget holidays) throughout Rockaway Park, Belle
Harbor and Neponsit and wonder why we torture ourselves so. We have asked these
questions and proffered our solutions before. Our pleas always seem to fall on
the deaf ears of politicians and the "I got mine" attitude of a few arrogant and
influential West End aristocrats with spacious multi car driveways on 60 x 100's
and their homeowners associations. But things are getting worse for the rest of
us each summer and it is clear that something needs to be done to remediate or
at least ameliorate the problem soon. As a first step, lets shorten the west end
summer parking rules to start on the Memorial Day weekend and end on Labor Day,
just as the beach season does. This should still provide plenty of protection
against the dreaded "DFD's" that everyone knows, but everyone denies, was the
original intent of the summer parking restrictions. We understand and appreciate
the problems caused for homeowners by "DFD's" The problems are legendary and
well documented. But for people to be still jockeying their cars on September 29
and 30 simply makes no rational sense. This fix is easy to implement and costs
nothing but a few dollars for new signs and workers to put them up. This act
alone would limit the draconian measures to 16 weekends instead of the 20 or so
currently affected and make life that much easier for everyone. Now, lets move
on to a more substantive and permanent solution. In deference to our Belle
Harbor and Neponsit neighbors, who might argue that the current summer parking
restrictions are not that big a deal, let's restrict our recommendations to the
200, 400, and 500 blocks of Rockaway Park between Beach 117 and Beach 128
streets, the area of the most dense multi and two family units and the most
intense parking need and competition. We understand that changes to the parking
rules on the beach blocks might cause safety problems so let's exclude them as
well. The solution is simple. The summer parking problem can be remedied by the
sale of summer parking permits. The mayor has already proposed a like program
for the areas bordering the congestion pricing area, so why not Rockaway?
Residents can be charged $100 to $150 per car for the season. Many would gladly
pay, especially those who now have to walk blocks to their rented or legal
parking spots. If you don't want to pay, just continue with parking the way you
do now. The money raised by selling the permits could be used for the community
good in maintaining parks and public areas. Enforcement is easy, either you have
the current reflective sticker on your back bumper or you get ticketed. "DFD's"
are quick learners, once ticketed they won't take the chance again, and buying a
permit is just not cost effective if you don't use it nearly every weekend. So
you don't have to restrict the permits to resident only. With the ability of the
average homeowner or tenant to park in front of his home on the summer weekends
maybe he will take out the concrete, plant grass, shrubs, and trees, and restore
natural beauty to our streets and neighborhoods. What is the downside to that
plan? Outside of putting a hurt on the summer parking space rental market, there
is none that we can see, So, let's give this idea a chance for a few seasons.
Let's get a program in place by next summer. Are you listening Councilman?
Mayor? If it works out, it just might peak the interest of those far west end
hoity-toity naysayer's. And why not? we're glad to share the good life with you
neighbor!
RSS Feed
