Brooklyn resident Charlene McDaniels outraged the one free parking spot on her block is now taken by Zipcar
NEW YORK - It's no secret that street parking in New York City is hard to come by.
One Brooklyn woman had it figured out, until her spot was taken from her.
"This makes no sense at all," Flatbush resident Charlene McDaniels said.
McDaniels has the only house on her block without a driveway, so she's parked her car in the spot out front for years. Until, suddenly, it wasn't her spot anymore.
"DOT put a sign in front of my door saying that I can no longer park there," McDaniels said.
The spot is now designated for Zipcar, the car sharing company owned by Avis Budget Group. McDaniels said she's called Avis, filed multiple 311 complaints and had called a Department of Transportation representative 19 times. CBS New York was there for the 20th call.
"Why would you take the space in front of my house and give it to a conglomerate ... and tell me I'm going to be towed if I park my car in front of my own house. It's ridiculous," McDaniels said.
"When it comes to the Zipcar, we also want to encourage New Yorkers to share the vehicles, so yes, we are pushing this city in the right direction when it comes to share the space, and therefore there's going to be some individuals that they can have some issues," DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez believes Zipcars are a way to help the environment, while sharing the limited space on city streets.
McDaniels said her issue isn't with Zipcars; it's parking them in free spaces rather than metered ones.
"From Kings Highway to the Manhattan Bridge, if you designate some of those spots for this Zipcar ... then the city is getting revenue from that. How's the city getting revenue from them parking in front of my house? I'm just saying," McDaniels said.
CBS New York asked Avis Budget Group and Zipcar for comment and did not hear back.
For now, McDaniels has a message for city officials.
"You need to fix this, ASAP because this is not right," McDaniels said.
