By EBONA MAIS
City Council members and representatives of the New York Press Association on Tuesday urged local lawmakers to restore the press’ right to park in restricted areas, a privilege one advocate said is even afforded to ice cream trucks.
New York Press Photographers Association President Bruce Colter complained that local journalists have had fewer privileges than food carts since their parking placards were revoked in 2009.
“We believe it was the Bloomberg administration deciding, for whatever petty reason they had, that the press should have less rights than someone, as Bruce mentioned, selling ice cream on the street,” said NYPPA Vice-President Todd Maisel. “It’s our opinion that going to collect dry cleaning should not have a greater parking privilege than going to gather the news.”
“It worked well for over 50 years,” said council member Corey Johnson, referring to the press parking privilege but was revoked due to the previous administration’s crackdown on inappropriate use of placards and misconduct of press parking privileges.
Transportation Chairman Ydanis Rodriguez has introduced legislation that would permit any vehicle with valid New York press plates ability to park in previously forbidden locations. The bill will also make media members with valid press plates exempt from paying for metered parking and abiding by parking time constraints.
The de Blasio Administration has not replied to requests by supporters to back the bill, added Maisel.
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