The Friday before Memorial day DOT (Department of Transportation) posted signs at CITY Municipal Parking lot at Essex and Ludlow Streets in NYC (as well as others in NYC, but none as huge an increase as the LES) notifying longtime residents and others who utilize the Municipal lot that in 1 month's time the monthly price was increasing from $300 to $500 July 1, 2019, just one measly month's notice. The hourly rate increasing at it's base from $4.50 to $8....
No public hearings were held. No input was garnered from the community. No notification was made to any City Council members, all of whom were in the dark and demanded that the DOT Commissioner reverse their decision, especially due to the impact on the elderly who need their cars close to them, as well as long time residents who have supported this lot to many, many years.
Residents called their local politicians en masse crying foul. This comes on the heels of the addition of a plethora of new Essex Crossing Residents for whom no parking was built with their new buildings. This outrageous increase of 67% is clearly meant to price out longtime residents and even the elderly, to accommodate the new money forced upon our community.
First we had tons of our street parking taken away to accommodate the Essex Crossing construction, and construction working bringing their personal cars to work grabbing more of our parking, parking at fire hydrants without getting ticketed, even parking on the sidewalks. Once the buildings were completed we saw doormen putting "doorman" signs in their windsheild and not getting ticketed either. The DOT is favoring new money and slapping long time residents in the face with a massive 67% increase in the municipal lot.
Their decision must be reversed. A CITY lot increasing rates by such a enormous amount is shameful and unacceptable. They told CBS news they want to be more in line with the private lots. Well the private lots do not make parkers get online exactly 5 days before the first of the month to vie for a reservation, which usually are full within 10 minutes. A private lot, has insurance and doesn't tell parkers "too bad" if their car is damaged in their lot. Sorry DOT but you cannot put yourself on the same level as a private lot.
Please sign this petition and demand the Department of Transportation to reverse their outrageous decision, increasing rates 67%! Tell the DOT to stop treating long time residents with such disrespect, while allowing new money to do whatever they please.
