New York, NY – Four days after toll hikes went into effect on the MTA’s bridges and tunnels, the city has begun increasing parking-meter rates to grab even more cash from drivers.
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Workers today will begin the months-long process of visiting every meter in the city and recalibrating them for the cost hike, which was approved in Mayor Bloomberg’s latest budget.
In Manhattan south of 86th Street, where passenger and commercial parking rates at Muni-Meters are $2.50 per hour, rates will increase to $3 per hour.
And throughout the rest of the city, where passenger parking rates at metered locations are 25 cents for 20 minutes, rates will increase to 25 cents for 15 minutes.
City residents who regularly use the meters fumed yesterday.
“The city is expensive enough,” said Murray Hill doorman Felix Miranda. “Bloomberg should focus his energy on people who have the money, not on the working class.”
But Robert Gallant, 61, a clothing manufacturer who lives in Miranda’s building, may be in the minority that disagrees.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” he said. “The city is broke. The state is broke. I have plenty of money, and I have no problem paying the meter.”
There are 50,402 single-space meters and 4,834 Muni-Meters throughout the five boroughs.
The meters produced $138.9 million in city revenue last year and provided jobs to 125 Department of Transportation employees who repair and maintain them.
Some motorists will catch a bit of a break because the rollout takes time.
It starts today in Manhattan and Queens. The Bronx won’t see the changeover start until March, and Brooklyn and Staten Island start in April.
A spokesman for the city DOT estimates that changes will be completed by June 30, 2011.
And this still may not be the end of drivers getting nickel-and-dimed.
Earlier this year, The Post reported that the city is considering an expansion of a plan where drivers are charged more money during the busiest times and at certain locations around the city.
The intent is to bring metered rates more in line with the demands of the consumer market.
Currently, a driver can park for several hours in a metered spot for only a few dollars, while a nearby parking garage may cost 10 to 20 times as much.
A similar pilot project is already under way. The city recently completed a pilot program to increase meter rates in three neighborhoods — the West Village, Park Slope in Brooklyn and the Upper East Side.
The idea was to free up parking spaces near businesses.
In 2009, 71 Muni-Meters in the West Village were permanently changed to $3.75 per hour from noon to 4 p.m., and $2.50 per hour at other times.
In October, The Post reported that the city is looking in to privatizing the meters — which has been done in Chicago — and that they could be worth as much $5 billion.
Back in the 1960’s, our business had a station wagon, which we used to park on 14th St., near Union Square in Manhattan. Then, it was only 10 cents an hour. Occasionally, we would arrive a few minutes late to add a dime to the meter. The parking ticket then was only about $10.00.
There are 50,402 for 125 employees, which is about 400 per employee. You would think that an employee can handle more than 400 meters over the course of the year. And you wonder why the city is broke.
Meter parking is designed to be short term. It really is not for all day parking so looking at the cost per day makes no sense. It is actually meant to provide short term parking in business areas for customers. The goal is to force all day parkers, like employees or doormen to park elsewhere, much like the long term lot at an airport frees close in spaces.
My fingers are soar from protesting and writing what a disgusting out of touch mayor we have. Since he came into office he dosent stop harrasing us yet the budget was never fixed because he has his own lil pet projects and for that he has unlimited funds but for what the rest of us need and care for he has no money. I wish and hope that there will be a good candidate to restore the city to rudys times when everyone loved the city and was proud of the city accept for some criminals. I miss rudy I wish we can get him. back and bloomberg is a disgrace he nickled and dimed us raised every fee possible, cut services but never fixed the budget because of all his personal projects.
These higher meter rates are a good thing and supported by the majority of residents of the heimshe neighborhoods where finding a parking space is so difficult (especially around shuls, yeshivot, kosher markets and mikvahs). This way you cannot leave your car for hours in the few available spaces but have to come back and either feed the meters in 30 minute or one hour increments. This results in the parking spaces turning over more quickly.