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According to Addabbo, the bill ensures that when future projects, like the Q52/Q53 Select Bus Service, are put forth, the City dedicates an equal quantity of publicly available commercial or residential parking spots within a one-block radius for each parking spot that is eliminated or removed.
By Michael V. Cusenza
State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) has reintroduced a bill requiring the City of New York to provide an equal number of public parking spaces for those spots that have been eliminated in order to accommodate bus lanes.
In November 2017, MTA New York City Transit and the City Department of Transportation launched the Q52/Q53 Select Bus Service route along Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevards in an effort to “bring increased reliability for bus passengers, as well as greater safety to pedestrians and motorists,” Addabbo noted. This measure, the senator said on Monday, ensures that when future projects are put forth, the City dedicates an equal quantity of publicly available commercial or residential parking spots within a one-block radius for each parking spot that is eliminated or removed.
“Local businesses relying heavily on customer accessibility and parking availability have experienced great hardships as a result of City projects eliminating critical parking spaces,” Addabbo added. “A major part of the redesigned roadway along Cross Bay and Woodhaven boulevards eliminated public parking spaces, which has had a detrimental impact on the small businesses located along the route as customers are not able to gain access to these merchants. Since small businesses are the heart of the thriving economy in a community, ample parking must be made available.”
In December 2017, after receiving a significant amount of negative feedback from shoppers and small-business constituents along the two thoroughfares, Addabbo introduced legislation to provide alternate parking spaces to make up for those that disappear as a result of SBS or other municipal capital projects.
“Since SBS went into effect on Nov. 12 on Cross Bay and Woodhaven boulevards, many small businesses along these roadways have found that nearby customer parking spaces have been sacrificed to the bus routes and newly created bus stops,” Addabbo said in 2017. “This directly impacts the economic health of our community and the local companies that are the foundation of our local business areas. If customers can’t get to these stores owing to an elimination of parking, they will certainly decide to take their business elsewhere—therefore placing our stores in jeopardy.”
Addabbo’s 2017 plan featured a requirement that the City hold a public hearing to solicit community input, and consider alternative parking sites, prior to the elimination of any existing parking spaces. The recently re-introduced legislation also requires that the City “convene no less than one public hearing within the bounds of the community board affected no less than 30 days prior to consider alternative parking placements. The City of New York would also have to provide a minimum of 14 days’ notice prior to the public hearing.”
However, the legislation didn’t move the needle after it was referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation. The new measure is now in the Transportation Committee—but this time the political atmosphere is quite different up in Albany. Democrats rode a blue wave in the November midterm elections to complete control of New York (State Senate, Assembly, governor).
