One of the unique aspects of New York City is that you do not need to own a car. However, City policy is telling thousands of New Yorkers otherwise by mandating the inclusion of parking in most new residential development, regardless of parking demand or the availability of public transportation. Parking requirements undermine other City policies which seek to improve public transit and conditions for cycling and walking. New residential developments will increase auto owner¬ship rates and add over 1 billion miles of driving annually by 2030.

Large swaths of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, The Bronx and Upper Manhattan are providing parking for new residents at twice the rate of current residents. Transportation Alternatives is working with a broad coalition of groups, including planning, transportation and environmental groups to reduce or eliminate City regulations requiring parking for new residential development, and to close the loopholes that allow developers to building parking beyond what the Clean Air Act allows.