Car Tips for New York Newbies

Helpful Hints for Car Owners New to Nueva York

Welcome to the Big Apple — and by the way, nobody calls it that. So don’t you either. So you’ve come to NYC with a car! Maybe you have a home with a driveway or assigned parking? But probably not. So you can get a space in a garage, right? Well, if you live anywhere like my neighborhood, you can ask to be put on a waiting list for the privilege of paying $400 or much, much more a month for a spot because all the lots and garages are full for monthly parking.

If there’s one bright spot to the COVID pandemic, it’s that twice-a-week alternate-side parking rules have now been weaned down to one (the latter day on the sign). So here are some tips for dealing with car ownership in NYC residential neighborhoods:

• If a space looks too good to be true, it probably is. Pay careful attention to street signs in front of and behind your car. While most of a street might have specific regulations, certain locations have additional signage that will further restrict parking. And you will get a ticket!
• Don’t block the dip in the curb. **Hey, they’re walking there. **And pushing wheelchairs, strollers, etc. This will get you a ticket even though you won’t see any signage about it.
• Remember where you parked. If you are moving to a new spot every week (alternate side is the ideal time for car shopping trips), the location might get muddled in your mind. And you will run down at 8 am and not see your car! You think: Where the hell is my car? Then realize that you are at the parking spot from two weeks ago.
• Be on time. You can get a ticket if you don’t move your car promptly, and if you’re running to the spot from two weeks ago, it’s best to give yourself a little leeway. I set a warning alarm so I know to get out of the house and also a pre-warning alarm to let me know that the time to leave is near.
• You can double-park. Unless signage says otherwise, the unwritten rule is that you can double-park on the other side of the street, but it’s best to stay with your car, as it’s technically illegal to double-park.
• Repark your double-parked car promptly. DO NOT leave your car double-parked after alternate-side restriction time is over. The ticket for that ($115) is almost twice the standard $65 fine for not moving your car in the first place!
• Check the alternate side schedule for holidays. I ran out to move my car the Friday before Easter. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I checked my phone because not a single car had vacated its spot. Good Friday is one of those holidays, and there are lots more. You can check out the 311 Twitter account for updates.
• Plan ahead. If you need to be somewhere early in the morning, make sure you don’t get blocked in by double-parking cars. And if a blizzard is about to hit, and you need to drive somewhere the next day, park in a garage ASAP (paying the daily rate) to avoid digging out the car. Be quick about it. Other people will have the same idea.
• Pull in your mirror. After you get in nice and snug to the curb (parallel parking is an art!), pull in the mirror on the side of the car facing the road. This will lower your chances of having your side-view mirror smashed by a vehicle that comes by too close.

• Buy glass protection. I’ve had my side window broken for a case of seltzer, and my windshield was smashed by some creep for the hell of it. So it’s worth the minimal extra annual charge by your insurance company to protect the most vulnerable part of your automobile.
• Take a defensive driving class to lower your insurance. Did your New York car insurance give you sticker shock? Make that cost a bit more bearable with any online class approved by the DMV. The minimal fee (shop around and also check out sites like Groupon) will be less than the first year of savings, and you get two more years of discounted insurance for the one course. And maybe you’ll even avoid an accident, keeping your rates lower.
• Protect your catalytic converter! Thefts are soaring nationwide. Believe me, if you have a protective plate installed before this bummer of an event occurs, you will save thousands. If this theft has already happened to you and you haven’t paid to cover your catalytic converter, do it now — or you will be kicking yourself. This thievery can happen more than once.
• You don’t need to pay for the meters on Sunday. So don’t.
• Make an appointment with DMV ASAP. If you haven’t moved to NYC yet, that’s fine, do it anyway. It’s not like you’re going to get an appointment right away (but keep checking back for cancellations), and the same for registration. If you were planning to go to AAA for this, forget about it, as there are only two offices that do this, and both are in Long Island.
• Do NOT turn right on red. The law states that in cities of 1 million or more, it is illegal to turn right on red unless there is a sign expressly permitting it. So be careful — you could have an accident or get a ticket. New York drivers are very aggressive, and cops here love to give tickets.
• Get an E-Z Pass. If you don’t already have one, it‘s totally worth your while to get an E-Z Pass. It’s accepted in 18 states. Haven’t snagged your NY license plates yet? You can still buy an E-Z Pass kit at a few select check-cashing establishments. (I had to call around, as most places listed didn’t have them; the woman behind the counter at RiteCheck [571 West 125th Street, east of Broadway] seemed to have never seen anybody happier to get an E-Z Pass.) I used my CA plate information to sign up. Then when I got my NY plates from the DMV (before my inspection), I added that plate as well (for the same car as the first), even before I put the plates on, making for a smooth transition.
• Just because you have a car doesn’t mean you have to use it. Most of my driving involves planning around alternate-side parking. And if you have a primo spot, it’s perfectly understandable that you don’t want to drive somewhere because you don’t want to lose your parking space! This is the first step to becoming a real New Yorker.

So welcome to New York. It’s a great place, and you’ll love it. Maybe not all the time. And if you don’t, then go somewhere else. You can always come back (once you realize how good you had it here).

Photo by the author