A city proposal to hike fines for illegally parked taxis earned a Bronx cheer from drivers at a hearing Wednesday, where cabbies rightly noted that the city does not provide enough dedicated curb space to unload passengers or take breaks.
But harsher penalties are needed to rein in repeat offenders and make the streets safer, said the chief of the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission.
"Our rules as they currently stand are not changing behavior of persistent violators, they're becoming just another cost of doing business," said TLC Chair David Do at the three-hour hearing for the rule. "Vision Zero violations have been steadily and rapidly rising."
The TLC proposed a rule change last month that would add points to drivers' licenses and require them to take a safety course if they park in crosswalks, bike lanes or in other illegal spots. Fines would escalating the third violation onward under the proposal.
TLC illegal parking fines currently sit at $100 or $200 regardless of the number of offenses, and carry no license points. Under the proposal, fines would increase after two offenses to target the small minority of cabbies who keep breaking the law, Do said.
"There are some drivers who have 10-plus points," Do said. "That's insane to me, and they do this because there are so many ways to get out of this."
Fines for the first and second parking violations would remain the same as they are now: $100 for a driver who pleads guilty without a hearing, or $200 if they're convicted after a hearing. But the proposal would add a point to their license and require a course for the first violation, and two points along with the course for the second violation.
The fine would also increase by $100 for the third violation and every subsequent violation within a 15-month period.
The same changes would apply to moving violations but those start at $200 without and $300 with hearing, and would rise to $300 or $400 respectively from the third violation onward.
TLC complaints for the parking and moving violations increased 37 percent year-over-year in 2024. The violations included parking in crosswalks, "No Standing" zones, bike lanes, on sidewalks, in front of hydrants and double parking, according to TLC.
The vast majority of the nearly 180,000 licensed drivers, or 97 percent, only got one fine during that time, but 4,746 had two or more of the moving violations, the agency's stats show.
TLC officials declined to provide a further breakdown of the specific violations.
Drivers under the proposed new rule would have to take a safety course for about $125 by a TLC-approved provider that covers traffic rules, navigating the city's street design and how to better serve riders with disabilities.
Street safety advocates hailed the move, noting that parking violations can have deadly consequences, such as when a trash hauler struck and killed 23-year-old Australian cyclist Madison Lyden as she veered out of the way of a cab driver illegally parked in the bike lane on Central Park West.
"[They] may seem like no big deal to some drivers, but they can be dangerous or even deadly to someone on foot or on a bicycle or trapped in a burning building," said Eric McClure, Executive Director of StreetsPAC.
But the stricter rules raised fears among drivers and advocates for the disabled.
Drivers said they often don't have a convenient place stop for passengers, or even to pull over and take a break for lunch or to use the bathroom.
"We, the TLC drivers, do not choose where to stop. The apps send us to a location, and we cannot know if it's a bike lane or a bus lane until we arrive," said Anwaar Malik. "What are we supposed to do?"
Drivers can legally pull in briefly at bus stops, in bus lanes or in front of hydrants to pick up and drop off riders, TLC officials said, but one disability advocate countered that cabbies would likely refuse service with the higher penalties.
"They’re getting tickets, and then that makes the drivers not want to pick us up," said Jean Ryan, President of Disabled In Action.
Instead of the punitive approach, the city's Department of Transportation should roll out more dedicated zones for taxis, Ubers and Lyfts, said one rep for the Independent Drivers Guild, a group that has taken donations from Uber.
"Nobody would risk a $100 ticket if there was a convenient place to park within a few blocks," said Andrew Greenblatt, IDG's policy director. "If you want to punish anyone, put fines on the Department of Transportation for not providing the appropriate places for people to park."
That will require getting rid of free car storage, noted one senior DOT official on the call, a political third rail in the city where politicians frequently channel pro-motorist grievances to battle Citi Bike docks, outdoor dining or better visibility through parking bans at corners, also known as daylighting.
"The curb is our most difficult piece of property on any New York City street," said Kim Wiley-Schwartz, Assistant Commissioner for Education and Outreach. "As we create more spaces, daylit spaces, spaces for off-loading, spaces for anyone who needs to use the curb differently will require all of us in New York to make some compromises as we rethink the way that we use parking spaces."
Unlike at many public hearings on rule changes, where the public usually testifies to largely silent agency officials, Do got into it with several proponents and opponents of the new rule, emphasizing his concern lay with recidivist offenders.
"My thoughts are — and I want your opinion on this — maybe we keep it the same for the first violation," Do said, "but where I'm trying to target are... the 3 precent of drivers who do this time after time again, without regard to street safety."
One opponent of the rule change acknowledged that drivers should be penalized for repeated bad behavior — but not for just one violation.
"We don't disagree. After a certain amount of points, a driver should be issued some penalty or a class to reinforce the rules and regulations of the city, but making it for everyone first violation going into points that is unfair," said Adalgisa Payero Diarra, an Uber and Lyft driver.
The TLC has not yet scheduled its vote on the rule change, but officials will post a notice 10 days in advance, according to a spokesman.
