4 AUGUST 16, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
City to raise parking meter prices
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
This fall, the Department of
Transportation (DOT) will
increase parking meter rates
in Queens for the fi rst time since 2013.
Beginning in September, the rate
changes will be rolled out gradually
across the five boroughs, with increases
ranging from as little as $0.25
per hour to as much as $2.oo per hour.
In Queens, the changes will take eff ect
on Nov. 1 with Flushing and Jamaica
seeing an increase from $1.00 to $2.00
per hour, and other commercials
strips such as Myrtle Avenue in
Ridgewood and Jamaica Avenue in
Woodhaven increasing from $1.00 to
$1.50 per hour.
Other areas in the borough will
see a slight bump from $1.00 to $1.25
per hour.
“Parking meters play a critical role in
providing an effi cient street network,
allowing for the effi cient delivery of
goods and services as well as providing
curb turnover as a resource
for customers to access storefront
businesses,” as noted in the Aug. 9
press release from DOT. “The modest
increases announced today bring New
York City parking rates more in line
with those of peer cities, as well as
better refl ect the market demand for
parking.”
Since the parking meters in Queens
are located along the most popular
commercial areas, it is likely that he
meter rate increase will have an eff ect
on local businesses. In Ridgewood,
Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement
District Executive Director Ted Renz
expressed his outright opposition to
the rate hike when reached over the
phone on Aug. 10.
“Raising the parking meter rates
on local commercial strips is another
assault on small businesses that ares
struggling to make ends meet,” Renz
said. “This will drive people away from
local shopping districts. I don’t think
now is the time to increase parking
rates.”
In Flushing, on the other hand, John
Choe, executive director of the Greater
Flushing Chamber of Commerce,
saw both sides of the argument. He
explained that while the chamber is
always concerned when any cost for
a business increases, he also understands
that higher parking costs may
infl uence more turnover in parking
spots as the DOT mentioned, and more
people will be able to park in front of
a given business throughout the day.
As an example, Choe refl ected back
on when the City Council made it so
that parking was free on Sunday with
respect to houses of worship that were
having parking issues. But the Chamber
of Commerce found that people
would then hog parking spaces all day
long, making it even harder for people
to park where they needed to, Choe said.
Still, Choe considers the possible
residual eff ects that increased parking
rates could have on a community like
Flushing, where much of the available
parking outside of commercial districts
is owned by private companies.
“Some people may decide that the
gap between market-rate and public
parking is narrow enough that they
would fork over a little more for market
rate parking,” Choe said. “For others
it may be much more worthwhile
for people to take the bus, or bicycle or
walk instead.”
Brooklyn will be the fi rst to adopt
the increase on Sept. 4, with Manhattan
following suit on Oct. 1 and the
Bronx and Staten Island on Dec. 3.
Parts of Manhattan will see the
largest increase by far, with Lower
Manhattan and Midtown seeing rates
climb from $3.50 per hour to $4.50
per hour as well as a new $7.50 second
hour rate for passenger vehicles.
Commercial vehicles in those areas
will pay an increase from $4, $5 and
$6 for the fi rst, second and third hours,
to $6, $7 and $8.
Photo by Ryan Kelley/Ridgewood Times
New corporate members join Glendale Kiwanis Club
At their weekly luncheon on Aug. 9 at Zum Stammtisch restaurant in Glendale, the Kiwanis Club of Glendale formally inducted two local organizations
as corporate members. Glendale Kiwanis President Kerrie Hansen welcomed representatives of EMU Health Center and the American Legion Post 104
into the service organization. In the left photo are (from left to right) Glendale Kiwanis President-elect Tony Sauro, Anthony Belli, CEO of EMU Health,
Hansen, Beata Puchacz, EMU Health consultant, and Past President Fred Haller III. Haller and Hansen are in the right photo with Bill Cook of American Legion
Post 104 and Glendale Kiwanis Secretary Debbie Kueber.
Photos courtesy of Kerrie Hansen
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