Motorists on the Upper West Side cruise a total of 366,000 miles a year – more than the distance from Earth to the moon – in the relentless pursuit of parking, according to a study being released today.
Transportation Alternatives calculated that drivers are being driven batty by the daily battle for the limited number of spaces in the vicinity of Columbus Avenue between 67th and 83rd streets.
The report found that motorists annually waste $130,000 in fuel and more than 50,000 hours and emit 325 tons of carbon dioxide while looking for a spot.
“This is a carbon footprint produced by people who have already reached their destination,” said Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for the advocacy group. “There is a potential to reduce that to zero.”
Surveyors also found:
* There are 506 parking meters along the 15-block stretch that turn over an average of 5.8 times a day.
* Almost no one obeys the one-hour limit at meters, instead re-feeding them at expiration.
* On average, motorists park at a meter for 93 minutes. Some stay as long as 12 hours.
“There are literally tens of millions of unnecessary miles driven in New York City every year because we’ve made such a mess of metered parking,” said Paul Steeley White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives.
The major reason, of course, is that street parking in the area is comparatively a bargain – $1.50 an hour compared to $10 to $15 in private garages.
The organization recommended that the city impose graduated parking rates as it has done in Midtown commercial districts, where truckers pay $2 for the first hour, $5 for the second and $9 for the third.
To free up more spots, the study also suggested leaving meter regulations in effect beyond the current 7 p.m., and raising the rates during peak lunchtime and after-work hours while lowering them at other times.
In the neighborhood yesterday, Christy Planer, squeezing into a space at 74th Street and Riverside Drive, said she regularly spends 30 minutes looking for a spot. But she doesn’t like higher rates, either.
“If there’s ever a solution to it, it would be fantastic,” she said. “I waste a lot of time driving around. You have no choice, you are forced, it’s the New York City style of life. You’re wasting your time, you’re wasting your gas – driving around for a half-hour every time adds up.”
Additional reporting by David Seifman and Patrick Gallahue