Push coming to shove in Albany parking squeeze

By SHERRY HALBROOK
If you work in downtown Albany, your chances of parking on the street have been poor for decades and now they may get much worse.

In June, the state Senate passed a bill (A.01039A/S.396A) sponsored by Albany Democrats Sen. Neil Breslin and Assembly Member Jack McEneny that would authorize the city of Albany to enact a permit system restricting parking to residents. It would apply to an area within a three-quarters-of-a-mile radius of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza.

Permits would not be required for parking adjacent to commercial properties in the affected area. Also, the legislation calls for 20 percent of the parking spaces in the area to be available as short-term parking for non-residents.

PEF is vigorously opposing the legislation, as it has done for decades. While the union has always succeeded in the past in blocking parking restrictions, the shift of power in the state Senate has made that more difficult. The June 22 vote in the Senate was along party lines with all 32 Democrats voting yes and the 29 Republicans voting no.

“We believe the public streets are, and should remain, open to use by all of our citizens. They should not be restricted to use by a small group for any purpose, including parking,” said PEF Region 8 Coordinator Bill Wurster. “It’s very disappointing to see our state legislators putting the interests of a small group of residents over the needs of the general public.”

PEF has pointed out restricting parking to residents would not just create a hardship for people who work downtown, it also could negatively affect many small businesses there.

“Albany’s lack of public parking isn’t a new development,” Wurster said. “The residents were well aware of it when they chose to move into the neighborhoods around downtown.

“The solution to the parking shortage is to create more parking spaces, not to pit one group of citizens against another by rationing the limited space available.”

PEF has publicly called on Gov. Paterson to veto this legislation if it arrives on his desk, and to work with city leaders on creating new parking, which is long overdue.