Greenfield Wants Alternate Side Parking Regulations Suspended on Tisha B’Av

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greenfieldNew York – Councilman David Greenfield will introduce legislation at next week’s Stated City Council meeting to include Tisha B’Av to the city’s list of days when alternate side parking regulations are suspended to accommodate the Jewish community’s religious observances.

Tisha B’Av generally falls in July or August. Most individuals who observe Tisha B’Av spend much of the day in prayer and are unable to move their vehicles while in shul. Because alternate side parking regulations vary from block to block throughout the city, many individuals observing Tisha B’Av are forced to move their vehicles while praying. Moreover, Tisha B’Av often falls on one of the hottest days of the year, meaning drivers are forced to move their vehicle while fasting in brutally hot and uncomfortable temperatures. This legislation would simply include this important day on the list of holidays during which alternate side parking regulations are suspended, out of respect for the religious needs of hundreds of thousands of observant Jewish New Yorkers.

“I am introducing this legislation to make this simple accommodation on behalf of my constituents and religious Jews across the five boroughs. Tisha B’Av is one of the most important dates on the Jewish calendar with much of the day dedicated to prayer at synagogue. Requiring observers to interrupt prayer services to move their vehicle while fasting on what is often one of the hottest days of the year represents a serious hardship for many. I am hopeful that the Mayor and my colleagues will recognize this and add Tisha B’Av to the list of holidays on which alternate side parking is suspended,” said Councilman Greenfield.

New York City currently suspends alternate side parking rules on 26 religious days of observance and all state and national holidays. Drivers would still be required to feed parking meters on Tisha B’Av under Councilman Greenfield’s proposal, but would no longer have to move their vehicle to accommodate street sweeping. The legislation is expected to be introduced at the July 24th Stated Council meeting before being referred to a council committee for hearings.

This proposal represents Councilman Greenfield’s efforts to work with the Department of Sanitation, Department of Transportation (DOT) and other city agencies to ensure the local parking regulations do not conflict with his constituents’ religious needs. Previously, he worked with the Transportation Department to institute a pilot program along 16th Avenue in Boro Park that ends metered parking requirements at 5 p.m. on Fridays, instead of 7 p.m. This freed up hundreds of spaces from 44th Street to 54th Street that had been unusable due to the inability of drivers to feed the meter after Shabbos began.

“In a city as diverse as New York, it is important that government agencies consider the religious and cultural needs of all residents and make reasonable accommodations whenever possible. I am confident this common-sense legislation will have the support of my colleagues from around the city and will make life much easier for Jews as they observe Tisha B’Av in the coming years,” added Councilman Greenfield.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}


14 COMMENTS

  1. Not that i am against it, any day with no alternate side is good, but there really is no religious necessity for this.

  2. Hopefully we just had our very last Tisha B’av. Next year we will be rejoicing in Yerushalayim… and if we have to walk so be it, at least we wont be fasting….

  3. Excuse me. Maybe you have your own private driveway. Maybe you daven at the shul down the block. However Many of us in New york me included don’t daven in the local shul. The shul I daven in is a 20 minute walk from my house I walked Tuesday to shul because around the shul there was no parking because of alternate side.

  4. Just curious if Mr Greenfield is aware of the fact that this riddiculous request will only harbor anti semitism. Why does he feel the need that we must be catered to like Roral Princes. There are plenty of religious groups throughou t the city, do they all get excuses on their holidays? Do the Muslims get a month off alternate side parking during their month of Ramadan? You choose to live in acongested city with no quality of life so suffer the consequences. Stop begging for differential treatment the whole time. it sickens me. Enough already. You want a repeat of 1939 in Germany?

  5. Let us say Tehilim. Our politicans seem to have lost their ability to think rationally. Indeed, perhaps someone can compose a Kinoh for Tisha B’av to bemoan that loss.

  6. It’s amazing how when a politician finally gets it right, people still complain. Mr Greenfield is the only politician who came through for me when I had a critical need from the city.

    If he is proposing such a law, I can guarantee you that it is in response to complaints he received from his constituents.

    Every religion gets Alternate side suspension for their Holidays (Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday,Idul-Adha etc.)

    Your fooling yourself if you think that the city suspends alternate side parking for other religions – because it is “ASSUR” for them to drive. It is simply a recognition that it will impede upon their prayers or other religious functions to restrict parking to one side.

    Now, I don’t know about you, but I didn’t finish saying Kinnos till 12:30pm. If I would have needed to constantly look at my watch and moved my car twice in the middle of Kinnos, it would have definitely affected my Davening. ESPECIALLY IN A FAST DAY.

    To compare this SENSIBLE legislation, (which every New Yorker would applaud – NO ONE LIKES ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING) to “a repeat of 1939 Germany” is not only blasphemous, but a complete lack of Hakoras Hatov for someone who is completely selfless to the Klal. (or more likely someone who has an agenda against Greenfield)

  7. #13, the comparison is simple. We are in Galus. In Germany, Jews held high positions of power, were involved in every level of Government, just like today. There may not have been alternate side parking in Berlin, but there were other instances where the Non jews were irked by the ongoing jewish control, just like today. History is repeating itself before your eyes. And don’t dare say ” it can’t happen here”, just like they said back then, because it very well can. And for you to sit back and proclaim that we have every right to have our needs of alternate side parking tended to is dangerous. Look around and you will see. White House Chanuka parties, Jews involved in every level of Government, Jews involved in Hollywood, the list goes on. So the moral of the story is , we should be quiet and not make too much noise because the outcome could be very dangerous.

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