Councilman Greenfield Seeks To Answer Age-Old Question: Where Can I Park Near A Bus Stop?
From the offices of Councilman David Greenfield:
Councilman David Greenfield introduced legislation during today’s Stated City Council meeting that would increase parking and reduce the number of tickets drivers receive by requiring the city to clearly delineate where each bus stop specifically begins and ends.
The proposed law was motivated by the stark need for additional parking spaces, especially in Greenfield’s Southern Brooklyn district, and the number of constituents who have reported receiving a parking ticket after unknowingly parking in bus stops – especially in cases when the bus stop extends all the way to the end of a block. The legislation is part of Greenfield’s continuing efforts to make owning a car a little easier and less frustrating by eliminating instances of unfair tickets and providing additional parking to drivers who are often forced to endlessly circle the block in search of a legal parking space.
“The city should make parking regulations as clear as possible to avoid tricking motorists into receiving tickets for violations they did not even realize they were committing. This common-sense legislation will help create additional parking spaces while making it clearer to drivers exactly where a bus stop begins and ends. This will in turn also increase the safety of those individuals who are taking mass transit on a regular basis,” explained Greenfield.
Currently, when only one sign is posted at a bus stop, the ‘no parking’ zone occupies the remainder of the block in the direction the arrow on the bus stop sign is pointing. Subsequently, because many drivers are not familiar with that law, motorists are frequently and unfairly issued tickets for unwittingly parking in extra-long bus zones. The legislation would require the city to install signs at the beginning and end of each bus stop in order to make ‘no parking’ and ‘no standing’ zones clear and to increase safety for bus drivers and passengers by preventing motorists from parking in or obstructing MTA bus stops.
Finally, this legislation will force the MTA to reevaluate whether it actually needs to take up as much space at each individual location that has a bus stop, especially those that use an entire block.
“The end result of this legislation will be more available parking for drivers, increased safety around bus stops and a reduction in the number of unfair tickets drivers receive. I will continue to seek new and creative ways to improve the quality of life for all of our residents,” concluded Greenfield.
The proposed legislation has been referred to the City Council’s Transportation Committee for hearings.