Councilman Gentile Proposes End To Holiday Parking Meter “Massacre”

Councilman Vincent Gentile proposed legislation to suspend parking meters requirements on holidays during which alternate side parking regulations are suspended, saying that keeping the meters on when the rest of government is off is confusing residents and causing an abusive spike in summonses.

Gentile said he was driving on Presidents Day and personally witnessed a “ticket massacre” – three tickets being written out in the span of just four blocks.

According to a press release, Gentile feels that the only reason the city keeps parking meter rules in effect is to bring more money to the city, which he described as “despicable.”

Parking meters are suspended on only the most major of legal holidays such as Thanksgiving and Labor Day, as opposed to alternate side parking suspensions, which occur for lesser holidays like Presidents Day or religious holidays. Councilman Gentile’s new legislation proposes that whenever alternate side parking is suspended, metered parking should be as well.