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A new paid parking system has quietly taken hold of 13 Upper West Side blocks—and many locals say they had no idea it was coming.
The new rules appeared abruptly on Monday, August 11, when drivers discovered that formerly free curb space had been converted to app-controlled, three-hour metered parking. The affected area spans from West 73rd to 86th streets, between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West.
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The rollout, which occurred late Sunday night, has sparked backlash from residents who say the city failed to give them advance notice.
“Why are they doing this, finally, under the cover of darkness?” said Ken Frydman, a local resident, in an interview with West Side Spirit, which first reported the story. “We should have known about this already, the people living in my building.”
The changes are part of the Department of Transportation’s “Smart Curbs” program, a two-phase initiative announced in 2024 to address the city’s increasing curb demand—whether for parking, bike lanes, truck loading zones, or sanitation services. This latest phase uses digital meters powered by the ParkNYC app, replacing the old alternate-side rules that previously allowed cars to remain parked for extended periods except during street cleaning hours.
Under the new system, parking is limited to three hours between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Frydman supports the idea of the city generating parking revenue but criticized the extended hours and the lack of transparency. “People shouldn’t have to feed the meter that late,” he said, suggesting a cutoff closer to 6 p.m.
Even Community Board 7, which often weighs in on local transportation policy, was largely left out of the loop. District Manager Max Vandervliet told West Side Spirit that the DOT hadn’t provided much notice before the new signs went up. He said the board now plans to alert residents through meetings, newsletters, and other outreach efforts.
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Some speculate that the late-night implementation was designed to avoid opposition, especially from drivers who park uptown to dodge the $9 congestion pricing fee charged below 60th Street.
“My guess is that they wanted it to block the angry hordes who were taking up parking spaces uptown,” Frydman added.
Council Member Gale Brewer’s office did not respond to West Side Spirit’s request for comment.
While the city maintains that Smart Curbs is about modernizing and better utilizing streets, critics say this rollout has left them in the dark—literally and figuratively.
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