NEW YORK—Speaker Christine Quinn announced a new parking meter bill Wednesday that will prevent Muni-Meters from accepting money during free parking hours or when it is out of receipts.
“When you’re doing your laundry or parking your car, you should always get what you pay for,” Quinn said in a statement.
The bill will be introduced at the next council meeting on May 8.
If passed, the legislation will immediately apply to meters that have the capacity to shut off during free hours or when out of receipts, which will apply to half of all existing street meters. Most meters are located in Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn.
Under this bill, parking meters will also resume accepting payments one hour prior to the onset of location meter rules.
The legislation will be exempt for existing meters that do not have the ability to perform such functions, but it requires the meters to be upgraded within two years after the bill is enacted.
“Parking is difficult enough as it is,” said transportation Committee Chair James Vacca. “We can and should do more to ensure that parking in this city is fair.”
“Muni meters are great, but flawed,” said Councilman David Greenfield. “We’re just trying to fix those flaws.”