America in crisis: Who's looking out for adequate school drop-off and parking facilities for our children's chauffeurs?

DNAinfo New York caption ("Private School Stole Parking Spots from Residents, They Say"): "Residents want three parking spots returned to alternate side parking instead of 'no standing' by the DOT."

by Ken

This may be too personal a reaction to today's story, but heck, it's my blogpost, so for once I get to say whatever I want.

Anyway, in thinking about this problem -- which is to say, the problem of ensuring adequate drop-off and/or parking facilities for the chauffeurs of children who are chauffeured to school -- one of my first thoughts was for once to be grateful for being so old that there seems next to no chance I might ever be faced with working for one of these overprivileged brats. Almost immediately, however, I realized how foolish this was. If any of these chauffeur-corps kids should grow up to operate a business that would consider resorting to hiring the likes of me, the kid would be considered a humiliating failure and a traitor to his/her class.

What we have today is a story of Two Americas. Probably there are more than two Americas, but today we're concerned with just these two: (1) the America whose kids are chauffeur-driven to school, and (2) the other America.

For some Americans, this is a story of testing one's mettle, of heartbreak, of triumph over adversity. Whereas for other Americans, it's a story about a few extra parking spots on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

I realize that in many places this could barely be an issue, since in those places the real-estate situation makes it possible to ensure that adequate school drop-off and parking facilities for chauffeurs are readily available. That's what parking lots are for, isn't it?

However, on the parking-starved streets of Manhattan it's another matter. One thing about NYC that non-New Yorkers may not properly appreciate is how often the various Americas bump up against one another here. And it's a good guess that any casualties from these encounters are likely to be sustained by the Lower America involved.


In case you're not familiar with the case (links onsite):

School Illegally Uses Parking Spots for Students' Chauffeurs, Locals Say

By Emily Frost

UPPER WEST SIDE — Residents claim that Bentley-driving chauffeurs for private school students have illegally taken over parking spaces on their block — and they're pushing to reclaim the spots before the beginning of next school year.

Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School had the the Department of Transportation quietly convert three spaces on West 93rd Street from alternate-side parking to "no standing during school hours" last August without any input from locals, residents said.

The spaces are used extensively for student drop-offs, pickups and even full parking, locals said, including by hired drivers that the school has acknowledged regularly chauffeur students to and from campus. The spots are also used for delivery vehicles without getting ticketed, while those with no school affiliation receive citations, they claimed.

"We really, really don’t think the school is just entitled to do whatever they want," said West 93rd Street resident Matt Dixon, who said he had a petition signed by 75 people calling on the DOT to return the spots to the public by next school year.

In response, Community Board 7's Transportation Committee approved a resolution Tuesday demanding the DOT restore the spots for residential parking. The regulation does allow residents to use the spots when school is not in session.

"If you’re a young child, it’s one thing," said Transportation Committee co-chairmain Andrew Albert at a meeting Tuesday night. "But if you’re not, you don’t need to be chauffeured to school."

The 1,290 student K-12 school has fielded numerous complaints over congestion in front of its West 93rd Street entrance and met with residents about traffic concerns, but never discussed the new parking regulations with the community, Dixon explained.

Instead, the signs went up overnight without any warning, fellow resident Sean Donovan said.

He added that he's seen a Bentley, as well as other luxury vehicles and vans belonging to school visitors, parked in the "no standing" spots all day long — but that the drivers never seem to get parking summonses.

"No standing" spots allow for pickups and drop-offs, but not for vehicles that idle or unload items, according to DOT rules.

A department spokesman said the agency removed just two alternate-side spaces following a request from the school to evaluate parking conditions on the block. The agency then converted an existing "no standing" zone on West 92nd Street into alternate-side parking, to replace the spaces lost on West 93rd Street, spokesman Nicholas Mosquera added.

Columbia Grammar did not respond to request for comment.

In the past, Headmaster Richard J. Soghoian has conceded that between 150 to 200 cars converge on the school in the mornings and afternoons daily and that there's a serious traffic problem.

Currently, there are about 17 spots on both sides of the block marked "No Standing During School Hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Board members were angry that after extended negotiations over the school's expansion, which the board ultimately voted to deny in February 2013, the school would make such a move without consulting it.

They were also surprised by the authorization from DOT.

"This is the first time a big change was made by DOT and they didn’t come to alert us," Albert said.

The committee passed a resolution 7 to 1 requesting the DOT restore the parking space to alternate-side use before the start of the school year.

IN PRACTICAL TERMS, IS IT CLEAR THAT THREE
PARKING SPOTS MORE OR LESS REALLY MATTER?

Would three more parking spots on the block significantly change the parking situation on West 93rd Street? Let's say y ou magically open up three empty spots on the block. Those spots are apt to be filled before you can get out of your car to scream, "I was here first, you miserable [blankety-blank]!"

I'm thinking, though, that people in this subgroup comprising th ose who live in Manhattan and have cars are by most normal standards a fairly entitled group to begin with, and -- especially given the mania that so easily sets in when you're faced with the daily realities of Manhattan street parking -- it's no fun to have your nose rubbed in the fact that there are people significantly above you in the Chain of Entitlement.

Those three parking spots perhaps take on a symbolic importance that no amount of teeth-gnashing can ease. These are people who know what's fair, which as usual translates into "what I feel entitled to." And so I'm afraid that when the article refers to locals feeling that those parking spots have been stolen from them, these are genuine locals whose views are being represented.

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