Parking in NYC: New bill would restrict it at intersection crosswalks

Advocates in New York City rallied Wednesday for pedestrian-safety legislation to prohibit parking within 20 feet of an intersection crosswalk, a law that would bring the five boroughs in line with Long Island and the rest of the state.

The legislation, City Council Intro 1138, is aimed at increasing visibility to reduce injuries and fatalities at intersections without the restriction, where most pedestrians are killed. The bill would require the city to add the restriction, referred to as “daylighting,” to at least 1,000 intersections a year.

The advocates placed 50 pairs of shoes on the City Hall steps to represent the 50 children killed in traffic since Mayor Eric Adams took office. Adams’ transportation department opposes the bill in its current form. If enacted, the legislation would mean a loss of tens of thousands of parking spots citywide out of about 3 million.

“We all know there is a specific amount of real estate that we have in this city,” the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, said at the rally. “And the truth of the matter is that we should use everything we have to protect people. That should be the main goal: how do we protect people from dying — and adding to these shoes.”

At least 40 states have some form of daylighting laws, “often dating to the dawn of the automobile,” according to the city’s Department of Transportation.

The bill has majority support of the City Council but has not been scheduled for a vote. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has promised to enact the law. Adams’ spokeswoman Liz Garcia did not immediately comment.

The bill is going through the legislative process, according to Mandela Jones, a spokesman for the council speaker Adrienne Adams, who controls the flow of legislation. Jenna Laing, a spokeswoman for bill co-sponsor Councilwoman Julie Won of Queens, said the legislation is being negotiated.

Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, chairwoman of the council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said she was inspired to co-sponsor the legislation by daylighting in neighboring Nassau County, which abuts her district in southeast Queens. 

“I’m on the border of Long Island, and in most of Nassau County, as you know, they have a lot of daylit streets, where you can’t park directly on a corner,” she said. “And it’s been working quite fine for many years.”

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.