You CAN beat City Hall.
Well, at least you can get it to agree with you.
Less than two months after the city installed one-hour Muni-Meters on Kings Highway between Ocean and Coney Island avenues, it will add an extra hour to the time allowed to park — thanks to driven merchants along the commercial corridor who sent letters to the Department of Transportation and lobbied their politicians.
“Our patience and persistence paid off because shopping, browsing and making multiple purchases at multiple locations cannot be accomplished in one hour,” said Kings Highway Business Improvement District Executive Director Phil Nuzzo about the changes which will take effect by the end of the summer.
Other shopkeepers agreed that people shouldn’t have to interrupt their errand-running to move their cars, or illegally feed a meter.
“It gives customers more time to walk around, and more time to shop,” agreed Jeffrey Fallon, manager of the Sunflower Cafe on Quentin Road, off East 12th Street.
The city’s bowed to the power of the people after the city installed 66 meters on the main strip and side streets six weeks ago — even though the side streets already had two-hour parking.
For their part, motorists gave the extended hours a pale-green light: “It gives people more time to shop, but I don’t think there should be meters at all,” said David Goldblum, 30, as he fed one on the highway, off Coney Island Avenue.
Andrew, a 27-year-old shopper who declined to give his last name and who parked at the Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle at Quentin Road, and East 12th and 13th streets, said that the change was a double-edged sword.
“It might hurt business because there won’t be as much turnover,” he said. “But parking longer will benefit the shoppers.”
