Assemblyman wants to ban out-of-state vehicles from parking on streets overnight

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Finding parking on New York City streets is no easy task.

Now there's an effort to free up spots, but it's not sitting well with some drivers.

It involves banning certain vehicles from parking overnight.

"They're not paying city taxes on insurance and they're taking parking from NYC residents, I guess it's a good idea," said Abelardo Cervantes, a Queens resident.

Ask any driver in Woodhaven, Queens and they'll tell you parking on the street is a nightmare. It's a daily ordeal of circling around the block and praying for a spot to open up.

"Parents 70-80 years ago, come home, park three to four blocks from house only to find two to three cars from North Carolina parked in front of house. It's very frustrating," said Ed Wendell, of the Woodhaven Block Association.

After hearing a chorus of complaints in his district, Assemblyman Mike Miller introduced a bill to address the parking crunch. He wants to tow all out-of-state cars during the overnight hours. That's right. Get them off the street.

Just a quick glimpse down these blocks and you see plenty of plates from just about every state including Florida, Georgia, Texas, and of course New Jersey and Connecticut.

"It's a problem because they take up parking spots for everyone else, our residents," said Assemblyman Mike Miller, (D) Queens.

The bill has been sitting in committee since last year. It's not clear if it has any chance of passing, but Assemblyman Miller says at the very least it sparks a debate about this chronic problem in New York, not enough street parking for too many cars.

Miller says he would allow for various exemptions.