This Week: Eastern Parkway and City Council Parking Hearing

We left two important events off our calendar at the beginning of the week, but both are worth knowing about.

Tonight, the Department of Design and Construction is holding a public meeting on the scheduled reconstruction of Eastern Parkway. The first phase of that project, which will add new crosswalks, traffic signals, and a bike lane along the road's median, is scheduled to begin construction soon. As a capital project, the reconstruction was first presented to the community years ago, but as the plan comes closer to being reality, some local opposition is starting to emerge.

Then tomorrow, the City Council transportation committee is holding a hearing on seven different parking-related bills. The most important is perhaps Council Member Dan Garodnick's proposal to place bar codes on parking placards in an attempt to reduce their improper or fraudulent use. Also on the agenda are ideas like allowing New Yorkers to apply for one-day parking permits and adding photographs to the notice of certain parking violations.