'Carshare Parking Only' spots take effect throughout New York City

Thursday, May 31, 2018
'Carshare Parking Only' spots take effect in NYC
Dave Evans reports on the "Carshare Parking Only" signs.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It may soon take even longer to find a parking space in New York City.

A new plan is taking effect that will take away hundreds of spaces for drivers.

City leaders have been talking about this for some time and now it's finally here; they've installed new street parking signs that say "Carshare Parking Only."

One sign was spotted on 115th Street in Morningside Heights, but the signage will be going up across the city.

According to a new website the city just launched, they're designating roughly 300 parking spaces in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens for car sharing services, including Enterprise and Zipcar.

The services let you rent a car by the minute or the hour with no need to worry about insurance, gas or a car payment.

And some studies have shown, the programs do reduce the number of cars on the road. Every shared car takes about 20 cars off the road. That means it could be easier to get around, find parking, and of course it creates less pollution.

These new signs mean if you own your car there is less parking for you.

If the two-year pilot program is deemed to be working well, it could be greatly expanded in 2020. The program has the full support of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"When I go back to my block on January 1, 2022, I am not buying a car, I guarantee you," said the mayor. "The last years before I gave up my car I was cursing that car every single night, like why am I going through this."

There are about a million private cars coming into Manhattan every day.

----------

* More New York City news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts