BILL NUMBER: S6550A
SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the residen-
tial parking system in the town of Harrison
 
PURPOSE OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to expand the area in the town of Harrison
subject to the town's residential parking system. The purpose of the
residential parking system is to allow residents who reside within the
municipality to park, during the day, on designated streets without
regard to the two and four hour parking restrictions.'
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subsection 2 of section 1662-c of the vehicle and traf-
fic law to provide for the expansion of the residential parking system
within the town of Harrison.
Section 2 establishes the legislative intent.
Section 3 subparagraph (a) describes the area already included in the
residential parking system. Section 3 subparagraph (b) describes the
additional area to be included.
Section 4 amends subparagraph (d) of subsection 4 of section 1662-c of
the vehicle and traffic law to reduce the percentage of spaces made
available for nonresidents from not less than 20 percent to not less
than 15 percent.
Section 5 establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
By action of the legislature in 1998, vehicle and traffic law § 1662-c
currently permits a residential parking system within a defined portion
of the downtown section of the town of Harrison in the county of West-
chester.
In 1998, in authorizing the town to establish a residential parking
system, the legislature found that a lack of parking for residents of
certain areas of the town had resulted in traffic hazards, congestion,
and air and noise pollution, and that such lack of parking posed a
hazard to residents and other pedestrians. The legislature further found
that a residential parking system would reduce such hazards and would
reduce pollution levels as well.
At that time, residents of certain streets in the town, in particular,
those residents living close to the commuter railroad station, had
continual problems finding adequate parking. Many non-resident commuters
parked on those streets, a convenient walking distance from the railroad
station, rather than park in the paid-permit lots adjacent to the
station. Nonresidents' cars were often parked on residential streets for
ten to twelve hours at a time, leaving residents with a severe lack of
parking.
For many of the residents of this area, especially seniors and young
parents, this proved a great hardship, as they sometimes had to walk two
or three blocks to get home. The area was also one of the more densely
populated areas of the town, as it consisted of one- and two-family
homes as well as multi-family buildings.
In 2023-2024, parking for residents in other areas of the town of Harri-
son has become increasingly difficult and the town sees a need to expand
the residential permit parking system to additional streets, particular-
ly in the West Harrison section of the town. Due to this area's proximi-
ty to the city of White Plains and its commuter rail stations, out-of-
town residents, visitors, and commuters have taken advantage of
Harrison's on-street parking, crowding out area residents. At the same
time, due to the replacement of older single-family homes with new two-
family homes and apartment buildings in this area, demand for parking by
residents has grown. Homeowners and renters alike have faced growing
hardship in finding on-street parking due to the shortage caused prima-
rily by out-out-town vehicles utilizing the available spaces.
The town of Harrison requests the authority to expand its residential
parking permit system to alleviate this ongoing problem. This bill would
designate a second area in the town where Harrison would be allowed to
issue permits for residential-only parking.
The A-print establishes the legislative intent and amends the bill to
decrease the size of the area to be added to the current residential
parking system.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
1 Town of Harrison, Residential Parking System Information and Guide-
lines, available at https://www.harrison-ny.gov/town-clerk
/pages/residentialparking-system

Statutes affected:
S6550: 1662-c vehicle and traffic law, 1662-c(2) vehicle and traffic law, 1662-c(4) vehicle and traffic law
S6550A: 1662-c vehicle and traffic law, 1662-c(2) vehicle and traffic law, 1662-c(4) vehicle and traffic law