Assemblyman Mike Miller is introducing legislation in Albany this week that aims to drive cars with out-of-state license plates from congested streets in an effort to free up parking. Photo by Anna Gustafson
Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) has a message for drivers wielding out-of-state license plates who are hogging parking spaces on the street: Your time is up.
The lawmaker is introducing a bill this week in Albany that aims to “stop the abuse of the registration of out-of-state vehicles in all our communities.”
The bill, which Miller expects to soon have corresponding legislation in the state Senate, would prohibit vehicles with out-of-state license plates to park on the street between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. daily.
“We know some people are fortunate to own homes out of state, so there’ll be exemptions for them, and you’ll be able to get a pass for families from out of state,” Miller said “We don’t want to curtail tourists from coming in, so people can buy a pass for a specific period of time through the DMV.”
Saying that the idea behind the bill is that “parking is difficult and we all pay for that privilege,” Miller said he believes the bill will help residents find the often elusive street parking – as well as ensure that the state receives money it deserves from registrations.
“There are a lot of cars with out-of-state plates,” Miller said. “Out of every 50 cars, I’m sure you have five or six cars that have them.”
Queens residents, particularly individuals in Woodhaven, have long been fed up with this problem. Several years ago, members of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association began tracking cars without New York license plates and reported them to their home states if the vehicles remained there for long periods of time.
Miller noted that the states that seem to most frequently pop up on the non-New York plates include Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maryland, and others.
By Anna Gustafson
