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Excerpt from Chapter 5 (Tourist & Business Travelers Section) of the THE NEW YORK CITY MOTORISTS’ PARKING SURVIVAL GUIDE.
This is New York–Be Prepared for Anything.
Millions of people from all over the country and all over the world come to visit New York each year. After all, New York City is a great place to sightsee, attend great theater, dine in fabulous restaurants and have a real party. New York is a wild place if you want to have a great time.
In a recent advertising campaign, the City went out of its way to inform everyone that in addition to everything that makes New York such a great place, it is also much safer, too. Frankly, I agree. (But crime can happen anywhere, anytime, so never let your guard down and always pay attention to your immediate surroundings.) However, what the City forgot to mention in their public relations campaign is that New York City is also the number one city when it comes to parking ticket revenue. So watch where you park your car.
If you are not renting a car or using a friend’s or relative’s vehicle while visiting, then you have nothing to worry about. However, even if you rent a car, you can receive parking tickets, and you are still liable for the summonses you received while the car was under your temporary ownership. Rental agencies have cooperated with the PVB and will provide motorist information in order to have summonses processed. The chances of the summons getting back to you are very good.
In addition to parking tickets, which is the number one hazard to motorists, having your car towed is a very real danger, especially in Manhattan. Pay close attention to all parking signs on a block. Review the chapter about parking regulation signs. All laws apply to you whether you are knowledgeable about them or not. Ignorance is not a defense against the law. Having your car towed or even receiving a parking ticket will put a damper on your trip. Be aware and avoid the risks and pitfalls of parking illegally on a street, no matter how tempting the spot.
If you are in doubt and cannot make heads or tails of a situation, ask a police officer to help you, or play it safe and park in a parking facility. In New York City, Central-Kinney Systems is the largest, safest and most convenient parking facility available with over 117 locations in the metropolitan area. You can call Central-Kinney at 1 800-KNY-PARK or visit their website at www.centralparking.com to receive computerized directions from your doorstep to the nearest Kinney location. It will be worth the extra couple of bucks for peace of mind.
The Blue Zone
 Rod Serling had the Twilight Zone, and New York City has the Blue Zone, which is truly another parking dimension altogether.
The Blue Zone was created during the downtown building boom in the early 1980s. Construction companies would park their trucks, vans, cranes and other vehicular equipment along the narrow streets of Wall Street, which was like shooting fish in a barrel for TEAs. So, everyday the TEAs would ticket the illegally parked vehicles like it was going out of style!
Then some construction crews got smart—they removed the regulation signs along the length of the block. Their reasoning: if there are no signs, how are you supposed to know the regulation? This is absolutely correct pursuant to Section 4-08 (a) (i) of the Department of Transportation Rules and Regulations and which is also stated on the Original Parking Pal (see page 120). When the construction crews would take down the signs, the DOT would put them back up. This seesaw battle continued for some time until the City got smart and eliminated the parking regulation sign in the new Blue Zone. They figured you can remove a sign, but you can’t remove the street. So the DOT created the Blue Zone.
The Blue Zone, as highlighted on the map above, consists of the area designated within the northern property line of Dover Street and the northern property line of Frankfort Street, the center line of Park Row and the centerline of Broadway, the western property line of State Street and the eastern property line of South Street.
Two specific criteria set the Blue Zone apart from all other areas
of the City and they are:
1. It is not necessary for a sign to be posted anywhere in the Blue Zone, because
2. within the boundary of the Blue Zone, a thick thermal plastic “blue line” is painted parallel to the curb that designates the area and makes posted regulation signs unnecessary.
The Blue Zone regulation, pursuant to Section 4-08 (g) (l) of the DOT Traffic Rules and Regulations states: “No person shall park a vehicle upon any of the streets within the area designated as the ‘Blue Zone,’ Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except otherwise posted along the perimeter of and inside the designated area...” There are no exceptions to any parking situation in the Blue Zone.
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