Press Parking Only

Some residents on one New York City neighborhood is pissed over parking and they are pointing the finger at ABC. 

Residents of West 67th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue awoke to “NYP License Plates Only” signs spanning almost the entire south side of the block.

Without any forewarning, 18 public parking spaces disappeared so that reporters – presumably from ABC News – with New York Press [NYP] plates could have them for their exclusive use.

In New York, members of the media could obtain "Press Plates" from the DMV that allowed them special parking privileges. 

According to a Department of Transportation [DOT] spokesperson, the 67th Street spots are to replace ABC’s current allotment of NYP parking on the north side of 66th Street between CPW and Columbus. Why? Because that 66th Street stretch will soon be used to accommodate construction equipment for Extell’s proposed 775-foot residential tower at 50 W. 66th.

Though DOT has presented this situation as a swap of sorts, the NYP-only parking signs remained in place on 66th Street as of Tuesday. That makes a total of approximately 39 spots held in reserve – and many unused. Plus, WSR counted 12 NYP-only spots along 66th between West End Avenue and Freedom Place near ABC’s second UWS campus.

To be fair, it’s possible that CNN or CBS employees with NYP plates could be parking in these spots and walking to studios at Columbus Circle and 57th Street. But it’s much more likely that ABC employees are enjoying this valuable perk. Doing the math, if a reserved spot in a garage is worth $500 a month, times 51 spots equals an annual $306,000.

Whoever may be using the spaces, Disney/ABCTV Group spokesperson Charissa Gilmore says, “We did not request the move of spots to 67th Street,” noting that the ABC team was apparently as uninformed as the neighborhood about the parking change.

H/T West Side Rag

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