Peralta Proposes Parking Program For LaGuardia
In an effort to make up for the lack of on-street parking throughout the city, State Senator Jose Peralta (D-Corona, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst) introduced a bill calling for the establishment of a residential parking permit program in Queens.
According to the legislation, the city will create a one-year parking pilot program zoned for the area covering a two-mile radius of LaGuardia Airport. The legislation also requires that the parking permit system make 20 percent of the spaces available to non-residents. The program won’t affect commercial thoroughfares, according to Peralta.
“Finding a parking spot in New York can be an impossible task. Commuters, travelers, visitors, workers, all look for a curbside space for their cars, leaving residents without too many options to park their vehicles,” said Peralta. “Residential parking permits have been implemented in many cities across the nation, and according to a poll, New Yorkers would be willing to pay a reasonable fee to find it easier and faster to find a parking space. I would, since sometimes it takes me 30 minutes or longer to locate a spot. This is a pilot program, if it works, then we can expand it to other areas of the City, and if it doesn’t, we will definitely study other alternatives.”
The City Council will set the fees and fines for the program. The fees will be funneled into the general fund of the city. Drivers will have to display permits in their vehicles.
In addition, the bill requires the City Council to hold a public hearing on the program before implementation. Under the proposal, the parking program establishes short-term 90-minute parking.
As it occurs with all residential parking program, the State Legislature will have to first approve the measure before the City implements it.
Dromm Holds Anti-Bullying Hearing
City Councilmember Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights, Elmhurst), the chair of the Education Committee, held an oversight hearing at the Council Chambers of City Hall to address the Department of Education’s response to incidents of bullying.
What prompted the hearing was the September 27 incident at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx in which a student lost his life as a result of anti-gay bullying.
“Bullying remains a serious problem in our schools,” said Dromm, who is openly-gay and faced bullying throughout his youth and as an adult. “National data demonstrates that one of out every five students are bullied. LGBTQ students, Muslim students and those who are overweight or have disabilities are disproportionately victimized. Sadly, NYC public school students lack access to curricula and textbooks that accurately reflect these different communities. Most textbooks exclude the many contributions LGBTQ people have made over the course of history. These omissions marginalize us and render us invisible. It must end now.”
