A Bit of a Parking Problem
By Katie Larkin
For many years now, residents in Rockaway and Broad Channel and people coming to visit have been struggling to find a good place to park. Unless you are fortunate enough to have a paid spot or a driveway, you are forced to circle the block numerous times before a spot manages to open up. Some residents have to park blocks away from important places or appointments because no legal spots are available at the time. Some visitors resort to taking chances with illegal spots, as seen on summer weekends recently. This years-long inconvenience has had a drastic effect on these communities because they are small, yet busy, towns that are easily overcrowded by both residents and visitors alike.
Over the weekend, NYPD traffic cops were out ticketing, towing and booting cars with a new device called “the barnacle” that goes on windshields, all along Shore Front Parkway from Beach 106th to Beach 90th Street. It’s part of the NYPD’s initiative to crack down on illegal parking in the area over the summer. It is illegal to park on the south (the beachside) of Shore Front Parkway, so those who park there risk getting a ticket and those with outstanding unpaid tickets risk having a barnacle placed on their windshield by police. In May 2017, Community Board 14 voted against metered parking along the south side of Shore Front, citing concern over emergency vehicle access to the beach. The No Standing Only signs on the sidewalk apply to those lanes, and not the bike lane, as some misinterpret. Those lanes are for drivers to drop off and pick up passengers only. This has resulted in some confusion, which further increases the issue of limited parking, while providing little in the way of solutions to solve it.
To help stem the flow of traffic, Rockaway has built many accommodations for alternative modes of transportation throughout the peninsula. The A train runs from various locations in Manhattan to terminals around busy beach areas here in Rockaway. For example, there are three different terminals at critical locations: one on Beach 98th Street, a terminal between Beach 105-106th, and a station on Beach 116th Street, as well as several stops heading downtown toward Mott Avenue. Residents and tourists also have easy access to our local ferry which runs between the peninsula, Sunset Park, and Manhattan, with a free shuttle service that can take riders all over the peninsula. A 10-trip adult pass is available at a price of $27.50 for those who love to travel frequently between these locations, as well as one-way passes and discounted passes for seniors available for purchase at $4 and $1.35 respectively. NYC Ferry even has a new Rockaway Rocket service, for visitors to reserve a guaranteed spot on the ferry between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and back from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., for $10. Rockaway is also home to popular bus routes like the Q53, the Q35 and the Q22 which encompass many of the above-mentioned areas at affordable prices. There’s even a beautiful boardwalk and readily accessible bike lanes throughout the community for those who prefer to pedal.
For those who still want to take the car, there are some options available, when it’s hard to find street parking. The massive Riis Park parking lot is available for $20 day or $100 per season for standard vehicles. There are private, rentable lots available on the beach blocks of Beach 116th and Beach 117th Street. The municipal lot on Beach 116th Street is also an option. Parts of Far Rockaway have paid parking garages. Some new developments in the community include a small parking lot that was crafted out of a large, rather unused land mass owned by National Grid. This small lot, managed by The Rockaway Hotel, can accommodate dozens of cars, with legal parking for two hours for $15, up to 12 hours for $30, up to 24 hours for $40, with long-term options available.
Should one craft the entirety of this National Grid land into a suitable parking lot, it would allow for the accommodation of more cars on the peninsula, and even make a steady flow of revenue for local businesses! In some hopeful news, when the Storage Fox facility at 106-02 Rockaway Beach Blvd. is complete, it will not only offer storage, but it is expected to have around 80 attended spaces for public parking. Solutions like these will continue to give residents much more needed room, as well as incentivize car-driven tourists to stay longer since they won’t have to worry about being towed, fined, or “barnacled.”
Yet the addition of new developments, often without adequate parking, continues to put a strain on a difficult situation, one that could get worse if the City of Yes Housing Opportunity plan passes, which could eliminate the requirement for new developments to include some parking.
Some local elected officials advocate for solutions, such as District 31 Majority Whip Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers, who serves as Chair of the City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and frequently fights for improved transportation options, and District 32 Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who is adamantly against the City of Yes plan. “The peninsula has seen a lot of development on once-empty lots that were used for parking in the past, and what few lots remain are often also slated for development as well,” Councilwoman Ariola said. “That’s why I am always pushing for improved alternate modes of transportation for the peninsula, whether it be a new jitney to facilitate cross-peninsula transportation or improved services on the ferry.”
Rockaway is always improving to keep up with the summer crowds and it can continue to improve as the years roll by with strong advocacy from elected officials!
Photos by Katie McFadden.
