Posted by Larry Berezin on Sat, Jan 30, 2010 @ 02:35 PM
The City Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of overriding Mayor Bloomberg's veto, and enacted the 5 Minute 
Grace Period Bill into NYC parking law
The Bill will take effect on March 21, 2010.
What parking rules will be covered by the Grace Period Bill?
The Bill will apply to alternate side parking rules and muni-meters. This means if an alternate side parking rule commences at 8:00 a.m., a parking ticket warrior cannot issue a NYC parking ticket until 8:06 a.m.
Commentary
My first reaction to the 5 Minute Grace Period Bill was luke warm when it was passed by the City Council on Monday, November 15, 2009. I figured the angry conversation will now be about receiving a parking ticket at 8:06 a.m.
As time passed, the Bill was vetoed by Mayor Bloomberg; and then the Mayor's veto was overriden by the City Council on December 21, 2009. It gave me some time to reflect on the importance of this legislation.
I changed my mind. Here's why:
There is such open combustible hostility between parking ticket warriors and the NYC driving public, the mutual disrespect and incivility is palpable. It makes the Republicans vs. Obama the undercard. The 5 Minute Grace Period Bill is viewed by the driving public as a victory. A victory feels good. A victory makes the driving public feel like someone with the power to act is listening.
The beauty of this small step is it empowers the driving public to reclaim a measure of control over the chaotic parking rules that run their life. If you own a car in NYC, the consequences of not coming home in time to move it, are worse than leaving a puppy in the house too long.
Rules are important. Let's use common sense and respect to enforce them. Let's return the respect to the warriors that are doing their job; whether you like that job or not. To me, this is the start of a long overdue conversation between stakeholders about how to manage the mean streets of NYC.
I'd love to hear your opinion about the 5 Minute Grace Period Bill. It matters to us.