In the Bronx, parking has taken precedence over people. A new building, a combination apartment complex and medical facility, has car-owning locals fearing for the safety of their parking spots—not the lives of fellow New Yorkers.

The building, slated for construction in the crowded Zerega Avenue area, will be exempt from parking requirements, and residents are concerned that the complex will infringe on already scarce parking spaces. Treating the sick, however, has taken a back seat.

From Streetsblog:

According to data from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, about 70 percent of households in the vicinity own at least one car. It's also the district represented by state senator and congestion pricing editorialist Jeff Klein, who believes charging 4.9 percent of his constituents to drive into Lower Manhattan "threatens to cut into the very heart which defines the culture of this city."

Not far to the southwest, the tenants association of Sound View Houses is fighting the development of a 124-space parking lot for private apartments. At a CB 9 meeting last November, according to the Daily News, "Tenants and community leaders shouted down the plan."

Though Housing Authority officials say the parking lot is underutilized, tenants insist it is sorely needed.

The controversy reveals the community's allegiance to their beloved automobiles and begs the question: why can't they just take the subway?

Photo via flickr by Kazatzka & jackhynes.

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