The public forum we held this month brought out 150 residents, mostly from the Heights. The issue of Resident Public Parking (RPP) has become more urgent as some type of Congestion Pricing becomes more likely. This was our chance to hear from the NYC DOT about how it plans to deal with the local fallout from that eventuality. It’s still a little premature to outline what the RPP program might entail. But it’s safe to say the DOT foresees an opt-in program that extends to neighborhoods particularly vulnerable to park-and-ride drivers trying to avoid congestion pricing.

It was one short year ago that the BHA surveyed members for a sense of where people stand on this subject and - no question about it - RPP is something people say they want. Lest people think Brooklyn Heights is alone in this campaign, it’s important to recognize the phalanx of well organized proponents in other neighborhoods including, but not limited to, residents of: Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Clinton Hill, Concord Village, Fort Greene, Park Slope and Prospect Heights. We also appreciate the support of the members of the City Council who represent these neighborhoods, Council Members David Yassky, Letitia James and Bill DeBlasio.

The DOT tells us that they expect to have some type of parking plan in place by March of 2009, which, details notwithstanding, will be a milestone for the city and a major success for the BHA, since we’ve been aggressively advocating for RRP for over 20 years.