Senior citizens in Brighton Beach are fed up with parking problems
NEW YORK — Senior citizens in Brighton Beach say they're fed up after paying thousands of dollars a year for parking spots that are often taken by unauthorized drivers.
Now, lawmakers are trying to do something about it.
"It's outrageous"
Fran Schwartz, 81, has lived in Brighton Beach almost her whole life. She pays the Department of Transportation for a quarterly parking permit at the municipal lot on Brighton 4th Street, steps away from the boardwalk, but says other cars are shirking the system and parking in other people's spots for free.
"They say, 'I'm sorry.' What do you mean, 'I'm sorry?' I have a permit. So what, if you have a permit, there's no one to tell me what to do," she recalls a common interaction.
Fed up by this, she brought the issue to the attention of Democratic State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov.
"We have talked about this to the NYPD and the DOT and not much has happened since. We've actually been on this issue since last summer," Vernikov explained.
The bipartisan duo point out that this is also one of the most expensive municipal lots in the city.
"It's not like this is an extremely high-income community, not by any means. There's a lot of people struggling to get by, a lot of seniors. So this is just to really highlight how unfair this is," said Scarcella-Spanton, pointing to a chart of the city's municipal lot prices.
They say it's especially upsetting because DOT recently increased rates of this lot from $500 to $625 per quarter, meaning there are people who pay $2,500 a year for a parking spot that other, unauthorized drivers often end up taking.
"I was horrified. I'm a senior on a fixed income and to me it's outrageous," Schwartz said.
Leaders introduce bills for senior parking permit discounts
Both leaders introduced bills that would allow for parking permit discounts for seniors on the city and state level. They're also pushing to increase the NYPD summons amount, install a mechanical arm and place a lot agent.
A spokesperson from DOT responded with a statement, that reads in part: "We are reviewing the community's feedback and look forward to working with the elected officials and our sister agencies, including NYPD, to discuss how to best address these issues."
"I try to come here, park my car, and I can't find my own spot," said Michael Gundersen, a retired resident of Brighton Beach. "I have to go look for a spot in the street."
NYPD says it has issued 4,721 violations at the lot over the past year, and 13 vehicles have been towed over the past month, but permit holders say their problems have not improved.
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