Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog NY

Parking Reforms Cut Congestion, So When Will DOT Get Serious About Them?

Where is PARK Smart 2.0? Image: DOT [PDF]
Where is PARK Smart 2.0? Image: DOT [PDF]
false

Earlier this month City Council transportation chair Ydanis Rodriguez convened a hearing on city parking policy. The committee addressed abuse of DOT- and NYPD-issued parking placards, but did not discuss one of the most promising initiatives in the city tool kit.

PARK Smart is a program that increases parking rates on certain blocks at times when demand is highest. It has proven successful in cutting congestion, but technological advancements such as pay-by-phone and a dynamic payment structure would make it even more effective.

DOT launched PARK Smart in Greenwich Village and Park Slope in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Community board opposition prompted the agency to spike parking reforms on the Upper East Side. The most recent PARK Smart expansions came in 2013, with pilot programs in Jackson Heights and on Atlantic Avenue.

Streetsblog reached out to DOT concerning the future of PARK Smart. A department spokesperson indicated that additional parking reform proposals may be forthcoming, but gave no specifics:

“The NYC Department of Transportation is moving toward the development of a more comprehensive management plan for the metered parking environment. The Park Smart initiative will seek to develop a toolbox of approaches to improve the operation and utility of the curb, as well as programs and policies that are more reflective of neighborhood demand and character. Over the course of the next year, NYC DOT will be collecting parking metrics in neighborhoods across the city to build parking profiles which may influence changes that NYC DOT may make in the near future to parking rates and regulations.”

With Governor Cuomo showing no interest in bridge toll reform, innovative parking policy is probably the best means the city has to reduce traffic congestion along its busiest commercial corridors.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Wednesday’s Headlines

Clips must have caught up on the long weekend, as there's lots of news from up and down the state, some news from the Capitol, and a little good news from the legislature.

September 3, 2025

Legislative Update: In the Home Stretch

Is your favorite/least favorite piece of legislation still active?

September 2, 2025

Give Your Input on Monterey Park’s Garvey Ave Redesign

Take the city’s survey and help set priorities for the project’s proposed mix of improvements for cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and drivers.

September 2, 2025

If it’s September, it Must be Transit Month

Take the city’s survey and help set priorities for the project’s proposed mix of improvements for cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and drivers.

September 2, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines

Big statewide news from the courts and a deal between the state and ridershare.

September 2, 2025

The Week in Short Videos

The videos are all upbeat! The Wonderful Protected Bike Lane Paving Machine, High-Speed Rail Progress, SB 79 Hearings, and Bakersfield is Pro-Bike.

August 29, 2025
See all posts