NO VACANCY: PARK SLOPE'S PARKING PROBLEM

WHAT: Press Conference and Executive Summary
WHERE: 7th Avenue and 3rd Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn
WHEN: 12pm, Tuesday, February 27th

Brooklyn, NY (February 27, 2007) -- Residents of Park Slope, Brooklyn are very much aware that traffic is on the rise and parking is scarce; a new study reveals these two problems are closely linked. No Vacancy: Park Slope's Parking Problem and How to Fix It reveals that curbside parking spaces on 7th Avenue are filled to capacity. As a result, nearly half of all traffic is simply "cruising" block after block searching for a parking space.

Conducted by Transportation Alternatives, a transportation advocacy group, the study reveals:

• On average, 94% of the area's metered parking spaces are occupied, with nearly 100% of spaces occupied at peak periods. Occupancy rates at non-metered spaces average 95%
• Nearly one in every six vehicles parked along 7th Avenue is illegally parked, with the rate of illegal parking rising exponentially as the curbside fills
• Nearly 2/3 of local traffic is circling the block cruising for parking

"When one in two cars is simply circling the block in search of parking, the curb is being mismanaged," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "This study shows that Brooklynites are suffering from needless traffic and dangerous illegal parking that could be easily eliminated through inexpensive improvements like market-priced Muni-Meters and residential parking permits."

Far from being the inevitable result of growth, much of Park Slope's traffic could be eliminated through better management of curbside parking spaces. The first ever study of "cruising" in Brooklyn, and only the third in New York City, "No Vacancy" provides neighborhood merchants, residents and officials with the basis for market rate pricing along commercial corridors, and resident parking permits on adjacent side streets. Together, these measures could reduce traffic in Park Slope by up to 45%, and serve as a model for citywide traffic relief.