The Alternate Side Parking/Street Cleaning Regulations are temporarily suspended on 34 legal and religious holidays, for both traffic flow and street cleaning purposes. On these holidays, stopping, standing and parking are permitted except in areas where stopping, standing and parking rules are in effect daily—for example, “No Parking Anytime.” Parking meters will not be in effect on these holidays.
The 2012 Suspension Calendar:
Mother’s Day is this weekend, and it is a day for not just kids but Dads to show Moms their love. In New York City, there are always tons of choices for every holiday and occasion. However, if you want to impress your mom/wife and make her feel adored, you don’t want to take her to the subway, spend hours on transit and wait in the long line for her favorite brunch place. To make it a perfect day for your mum, we have found 7 places that are drivable and parkable.
Brunch Cruises
Take Mom aboard and get the day started with a spectacular brunch cruise around the island of Manhattan. Companies such as Bateaux New York, Skyline Princess Cruises and Class Harbor Line provide Mother’s Day brunch cruises that feature high-quality food and beautiful Manhattan skyline.
You can drive directly to Chelsea piers on the west side of Manhattan, no need to circle around streets and avenues in Manhattan.
Parking lots are available on 11th Avenue, 10th Avenue and W 21st Street.
Have a Family Day at Staten Island Zoo
A two-for-one admission special is available on Mother’s Day. Families can get away from the busy city life and spend a leisure day at the zoo.
Directions: You can get to the park from Brooklyn via the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, from Jersey City via the Bayonne Bridge or from Elizabeth via the Goethals Bridge.
There is free parking for visitors to the zoo.
Join the Green Weekend Party at The New York Botanic Garden
The New York Botanic Garden is arranging various activities for families who come for a green retreat on Mother’s Day: Badminton games, croquet games, kite flying, ragtime music, food trucks, professional photographer’s booth, watercolor painting, card making, etc. You can also read classic poetries with famous poets Erika Meitner, Benjamin Paloff and Thomas Sleigh on Saturday afternoon and watch Beauty and the Beast on Sunday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Convenient parking is available for $12 per vehicle on the Garden grounds. Parking facilities are also available on:
2768 Webster Avenue, Bronx, NY;
2846 Webster Avenue, Bronx and
1 Fordham Plz, Bronx.
Enjoy Cajun&Zydeco Music at the 2nd Annual Bayou n’Brooklyn Music Festival
If you are looking for something different for a music lover, check out Jalopy Theatre near the entrance of Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn. Jalopy Theatre is holding the 2nd Annual Bayou n’Brooklyn Music Festival of Cajun & Zydeco Music this weekend, which features a host of Louisiana-based musicians, fiddle workshops, jam sessions and concerts.
Free on-street parking is available after 10:30 a.m. on Woodhull Street and Columbia Street.
Buy Moms a Drink at The Manhattan Cocktail Classic Festival
Being a mother means devoting all her spare time to kids and the family. But we know ladies all like to stay young and pretty. A great way to show your thanks is to have mothers dressed up, bring them to a nice party and buy them a drink. Check out the events here and pick a nice fun place for her! Parking and traffic are not a big deal if they have a great night.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Got a parking ticket? Ouch. There are things that we can do without. Yet we, at Parkit Labs, don’t know a single driver in the city that hasn’t gotten hit with at least one of these screaming letters.
We feel you and have been there. We know that that cities are tough places find parking. New York City, in particular, is the toughest place to park in the U.S. and the price of a parking ticket is in the stratosphere. Ouch.
The truth is that there are different prices when it comes to parking tickets, ranging from $65 to $115. Geography is a factor. When you are in Manhattan on 96th Street and below, your ticket will be relatively more expensive versus other parts of New York City.
For all full list of Parking violations and prices: check out this.
If you do get served a parking ticket, unfortunate as it is, you can and should deal with it online here. There is a $2 service charge to pay online, but, trust us, it is worth it.
Dispute a parking ticket: Click here.
Pay a parking ticket: Click here.
To avoid a parking ticket, when you see signs like these, it is pretty serious. So please don’t chance it. If you need to check for parking signs and regulations, don’t forget that you can do that inside our amazing app. Good luck and happy parking!
Being located in New York City, we, at Parkit Labs, understand how tough it is to find on-street parking spaces in this city. Drivers need to keep an eye on all curbside spots, be aware of the traffic, read three to four parking signs at a glance and quickly slide into tight parking spaces. We have met some of our users on NY Tech Day two weeks ago and found that parking in some districts is even tougher for residents and visitors. As it is the reality of cities nationwide, we have scheduled a weekly blog post about city parking, hoping to help drivers plan ahead and park easily.
Following the kick-off post about San Diego parking tips last week, we will talk about two busy neighborhoods in New York City this week - Murray Hill and Financial District. Parking in Murray Hill and Financial District is hard because of different reasons: Murray Hill/Gramercy is known for massive housing and hospital complexes and the wide selection of restaurants, which have kept this area busy and hard to park during the entire day; The Financial District, which is busy in the daytime and quiet at night because of its historical landmarks and sky scraping business buildings, makes it a challenge to find on-street parking spots for weekday daytime.
Parking in the Murray Hill Area
You will find no parking signs on most of the on-street spots, which prohibits parking from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during weekdays.
There are several metered parking spots on 1st Avenue between 36th to 40th street, available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m during weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 7p.m. on Saturdays.
For free daytime parking, try your luck on East Tudor City Pl (closed to 1st Ave.) between 41street to 43rd street or N 36th street between Tunnel Entrance St. and FDR Dr.
Parking Garages:
Champion Parking: 655 3rd Ave # 1400, New York, NY 10017
Quick Parking: 101 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10178
Gemini Parking Co: 222 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016
Allian Parking Services: 222 East 39th Street, New York, NY 10016
Icon Parking Systems: 205 East 38th Street, New York, NY 10016; 9 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Corinthian Garage Corporation: 345 East 37th Street, New York, NY 10016
Garment Garage Corporation: 155 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016
Parking in the Financial District
There are free parking spots available near Hudson River between Albany Street and Battery Pl. Just remember the street cleaning time is 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Free on-street parking can also be found on Water Street and Front Street between Dove Street and Fulton Street. The street cleaning time is this area is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Limited time metered parking spots are available in the daytime on the north side of Gold Street, Pearl Street and Water Street.
Off-street Parking in the Financial District
Rapid Parking Industries: 25-27 Beekman Street, New York, NY 10038
Imperial Parking Systems: 2 Gold Street, New York, NY 10038
Icon Parking: 308 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007; 26 South William Street, New York, NY 10004
Quik Park: 70 West St., New York, NY 10006; 1 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004
Ggmc Parking: 90 Washington St # 2, New York, NY 10006
John Street Parking Corporation: 63 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005
Impark: 55 Water Street, New York, NY 10041
Driven by sharp increases in gas and tires costs, the annual costs to own and operate a sedan in the USA rose 1.9% according to the 2012 “Your Driving Cost” study released by Auto club AAA. AAA has studied driving costs—including costs of fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, depreciations, license, registration, taxes and loan—in different vehicle categories. The result showed that the average cost for Sedan owners was $8,946 per year and 59,6 cents per mile. The cost of parking wasn’t included in this report.
Source: USA Today
According to AAA, the cost of owning and operating a vehicle breaks down is like this:
Depreciation: 39.6%;
Gasoline: 23.7%;
Insurance: 11.2%;
Finance charges:9.5%;
Maintenance: 7.5%;
Tax, License, Registration: 6.7%; and
Tires: 1.7%.
Fuel Costs Up 14.8 Percent
The cost of fuel rose 14.8 percent to 14.2 cents per mile on average for sedan owners and became the largest percentage increase from 2011 to 2012. According to AAA, several vehicles in the study had increased in fuel economy, leading to a slightly less rise in the overall average fuel cost, but they didn’t indicate the brands. You can figure your own fuel cost using three metrics: the number of gallons, how much you pay and the odometer reading. Here is an example provided by AAA:
The Costs of Depreciation, Tires, Insurance and Maintenance
The depreciation costs dropped 4.9 percent as a result of reduced new car sales over the past few years and the shortage of good used cars.The cost of tires increased by 4.2 percent to 1 cent per mile on average for sedan owners, ranking second highest among all factors that rose from 2011 to 2012. Average insurance costs for sedans—based on a low-risk drivers with a clean driving record—rose 34% to $1,001 yearly while maintenance costs increased 0.7%.
Parking costs was excluded in the study probably as a result of the variation of parking rates in different cities. We, at Parkit Labs, are concerned about city parking issues and understand that parking costs can take up a big portion of the overall costs for city drivers. Our parking app is trying to help you find parking, save money and have fun with friends.
To figure your total cost to drive:
We have talked about the high occupancy rates of some neighborhoods in San Diego. The Parkit Labs team has summed up the following off-street parking tips for three popular destinations in San Diego downtown: the Columbia neighborhood, the Marina neighborhood and the Horton Plaza neighborhood.
1. The Columbia Neighborhood
Source: Wilson & Co., Wilbur Smith Associates, 2008
As the data shown above, drivers who are looking for parking in weekday daytime and in weekend evenings may want to plan ahead with Parkit App and show up earlier.
Places: San Diego City Hall, San Diego Santa Fe Depot (Amtrak Station), Advanced Equities Plaza
Off-street Parking in the Columbia Area:
Five Star Parking-Allegro Towers, 1445 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101
Ace Parking, 110 W a St, San Diego, CA 92101
Airport Parking Connection System, 1355 North Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101
Five Star Parking #45-Cruise Ship, 900 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
One America Plaza, 600 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
2. The Marina Neighborhood
Source: Wilson & Co., Wilbur Smith Associates, 2008
As the data shown above, people who are visiting the Marina neighborhood during weekends may have difficulty in finding on-street parking. We encourage drivers to plan ahead and to share their spots as crowds will keep arriving during both the daytime and the evening.
Places: USS Midway Museum (parking lot available), Seaport Village Shopping Center, Embarcadero Marina Park
Off-street parking in the Marina area:
Grand Parking LLC, 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101
Sunset Parking Service, 849 W Harbor Dr. # D, San Diego, CA 92101
Ace Parking, 111 West Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101
Ampco System Parking, 751 Union St., San Diego, CA 92101
Ace Parking, 225 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
3. The Horton Plaza Neighborhood
Source: Wilson & Co., Wilbur Smith Associates, 2008
As the data shown above, it may take some time to find a parking in the Horton Plaza neighborhood during the whole week. Sharing your spot on the Parkit App platform 15 minutes before you leave will be super helpful to other drivers. You can also exchange it for a cup of jo and pass good karma!
Places: Westfield Horton Plaza
Off-street parking in the Horton Plaza area:
Ace Parking, 225 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
Parking Company of America, 625 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
Central Parking System, 625 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
Ace Parking, 614 Market St., San Diego, CA 92101
Ampco System Parking, 751 Union St., San Diego, CA 92101
Five Star Parking, 402 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
Aloha Valet Services, 724 Ostend Ct, San Diego, CA 92101
The Parkit Labs has attended the San Diego Apps Challenge and we need your vote.
Your support will help us grow!
At Parkit Labs, we are always focused on tailoring our App for parking and traffic issues in different cities. Our mission this time is to help the city of San Diego to enhance services and quality of life for San Diegans.
With the data released from a California API by the AT&T San Diego Apps Challenge, the Parkit App is able to show users realtime highway incidents when they are searching for parking spots or planning driving routes. The new feature will be helpful to California commuters as we know how much driving has taken up their daily life.
The Parkit App also helps drivers find parking spots and share the spots when they are able to leave. We have heard about complaints about the shortage of parking resources in San Diego.
A study published by the government shows that in 2008, among 9108 downtown on-street parking spaces-which included 35 percent metered spaces and 38 percent unmetered spaces-the average weekday occupancy was 67 percent for daytime (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 64 percent for evening (6 p.m. - 10 p.m.). The average weekend occupancy was 53 percent for daytime and 48 percent for evening. Given that some areas such as the Columbia neighborhood might have a higher occupancy rate, there were still plenty of parking spaces available in most areas.
One major reason for the difficulty in finding parking spots is that drivers are used to circling around randomly instead of using a reliable source for directions. By connecting drivers in the same areas, the Parkit Labs App serves as a platform for drivers to share spots and help each other. San Diegans and travelers can now enjoy a less hectic parking process in the city.
Please vote for Parkit Labs in the San Diego Apps Challenge. We need your support.
Found it annoying when you are rushing to work/home/a party and the traffic signal is broken? Now you can report it to the government of New York City and have it fixed soon. Check out the video and share it with your friends. It will be much easier if we all work together.
How do I report a broken traffic signal?
Watch more Inform NYC videos with answers to the most frequently asked 311 questions on the NYCGOV Facebook Page.
Parkit Labs was one of the handful startups sponsored to be at NYTechDay! We made amazing progress and enjoyed meeting our fellow entrepreneurs, users, friends and supporters. To keep up with the happening during the day, please visit our community facebook page for some amazing photos.
This Thursday, April 19, Parkit Labs will be attending NY Tech Day and showing you how we make parking more fun (right, make it fun, not make fun of it) in the New York City. Parkit, our app, helps you discover and get the parking sweet spot ahead or on the go. It translates parking regulations clearly so that you can avoid tickets and save time. This is just the beginning. With our ever-improving designs, you can mark the parking spot using your own car or dream car as your avatar, you can offer your spot and pass good karma to your neighbors and you can make new friends in your parking community—the beauty who works in the same building or your new boss who you never talk to. Getting excited? Stay tuned and tell us what you think! We will try to make it happen.
In case you haven’t heard about NY Tech Day, it is a “science fair” for tech startups like us to hang out with each other and showcase our companies. We are very excited to meet the press and over 175 peer companies. We also have prepared some cute sweet surprises for you. To give you a sneak peek, here is a clue of one of the cool things we will do on Thursday. Feel free make a guess and tweet us. Be bold.
