Park Slope parking worse after rules suspended

Drivers say the parking in Park Slope is more stressful than ever, even after the city suspended alternate side parking rules in the neighborhood. When the plan to suspend alternate side parking was

News 12 Staff

Jun 3, 2008, 1:33 AM

Updated 6,033 days ago

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Drivers say the parking in Park Slope is more stressful than ever, even after the city suspended alternate side parking rules in the neighborhood.
When the plan to suspend alternate side parking was announced last month, a Park Slope resident Joanne O?Sullivan thought it would be a blessing to local drivers. But now, she finds herself cruising around the area for 45 minutes before locating a parking spot.
?I never thought I'd want alternate side parking, never thought I?d want to move my car on Thursdays and Fridays, but there?s never any spots,? O?Sullivan complained. ?People leave their cars here for weeks.?
O?Sullivan?s sentiment is shared by many in the neighborhood. The area from 4th Avenue to Prospect Park West, between 15th Street and Flatbush Avenue, has become a long-term parking lot. Some suspect it is turning into a free-for-all for people who don?t even live in Park Slope.
Another side effect of the suspension plan is that the streets are not being cleaned.
For the time being, the alternate side parking regulations are suspended indefinitely, but the Department of Transportation said if the situation changes, the public will be notified in advance so people will have enough time to move their cars.
Similar parking rule suspensions will take place in Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Cobble Hill later this year.