Inwood residents say valet parking services taking up all street parking spots

INWOOD (WABC) -- There are lots of frustrated folks in Upper Manhattan, angry because business is booming in the community of Inwood.

Restaurants and nightclubs are a good thing, but what's bad is that valet parking services are popping up and taking up valuable parking spaces.

"There's too many cars, not enough space," a resident said.

It's an ongoing battle being waged on the streets of Inwood between people living in the neighborhood and valet companies, stealing what are already too few available street parking spaces.

"It's saturated, it's very congested," a driver said.

"It's bad to be honest, it's bad," another resident said.

Nancy Preston who has lived in the community for more than 15 years says with the steady growth of restaurants and nightlife in the area parking has become scarce with more businesses are using valets. She says she's observed the valet's illegally double parking cars on the street, violating traffic rules, and clogging other free spaces.

"Then they park them on the street or they double park them or they park them on the sidewalks, and this has become very contentious taking away the rare parking spots in New York City," said Preston, of Moving Forward Unidos.

Meanwhile, others say it can take up to an hour sometimes on any given night just to find an open space.

"Horrible, me and my dad we both experience maybe three or four hours on any given night," said Vizmar Caba, a resident.

People living there say they would like to see the police more heavily enforce the parking rules for these valet companies, and they've expressed these concerned before.

"This has become such an issue that in the community board when there are applications for a liquor licenses. Part of the inquiry with the applicants is about what are you going to do about parking," Preston said.

Eyewitness News did reach out to several valet companies being used in the area for comment, but none have responded to us yet.