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There’s no such thing as a free lunch — and, as a new study shows, “free parking” might be a misnomer in NYC, too.
Newly released data from SpotAngels reveals the neighborhoods, and even the exact spaces, where city drivers are most likely to get parking tickets nowadays.
According to the study, Midtown Manhattan, the Upper East and West sides, Kips Bay, Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg rank among the areas where drivers are most likely to find those dreaded orange, folded papers tucked under windshield wipers, contributing to the whopping $260 million the city reaped in parking fines between October 2020 and September 2021.
The Manhattan neighborhood that’s most likely to blow your meter? That’s Kips Bay, where nearly 13 tickets are issued per every 100 parking spots, SpotAngels found, pulling in over $1.3 million.
Overall, Midtown brought in the most penalty revenue at $13,338,865 from 158,032 tickets. (The study notes there are 2,546,491 parking spots with restrictions there.)
Laurelton and Ozone Park were found to be the worst places to park in Queens, with each averaging 13 tickets per 100 spaces. The worst place in The Bronx was Pelham Bay Park, with nine tickets per 100 spots, although Fordham had the most ticket revenue at $1.4 million.
Staten Island was not included in the study.
In addition to the worst neighborhoods, the study also identified 10 specific spots where drivers were likely to get slapped with fines, many of which are in the Midtown hot zone. Check them out below.
152-11 89th Ave., Jamaica, Queens
The most ticketed space in all of New York City is in front of an apartment complex called Parkhill City in eastern Queens.
The spot saw 568 tickets over the 11-month study and sits near Jamaica’s major train junction of an LIRR station, the AirTrain to JFK Airport and Sutphin Boulevard subway station, which services the E, J and Z lines.
229 W. 43rd St., Manhattan
Right on the edge of Times Square between Seventh and Eighth avenues, this spot in front of the original New York Times building brought in 409 tickets during the last year.
Ironically, the location is perched between two public parking garages. It’s also close to several theaters, plus Times Square tourist attractions like Dave & Buster’s along with the Hard Rock Cafe, Carmine’s 44th Street location and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (Maybe Forrest was onto something with all that running.)
114 W. 47th St., Manhattan
Try not to blame The Post for this one. Sitting right across from the News Corp Building on the Avenue of the Americas, 394 tickets were given out at this location.
Along this stretch, which is also the hub for Fox News, was the former site of the NHL store before it moved to Hudson Yards. The space is also across the street from Manhattan’s Diamond District and is a short walk to Radio City Music Hall.
2 W. 45th St., Manhattan
The bustling corner of 45th Street and Fifth Avenue is home to this space which had 371 tickets issued.
Only a quick trip to the nearby NBA store, this location is also not far from the happening areas of Times Square and Bryant Park.
500 and 554 W. 30th Street, Manhattan
We head to Hudson Yards for the next two entries on this list. Both of these vessels of parking tickets lie near one another, in between 10th and 11th avenues at the mega development. 500 W. 30th St. had 361 tickets and 554 was just a tad behind with 359, bringing the total to an expensive 720.
The High Line elevated walkway is nearby, as are entrances to the extensive shops and restaurants at the yards. There’s also a parking garage — for those unwilling to risk it — within striking distance.
333 Seventh Ave., Manhattan
Turns out good style can’t get you out of a parking ticket. A spot right across from the Fashion Institute of Technology, between 28th and 29th streets, yielded 355 tickets to frustrated drivers.
Another likely factor is that Madison Square Garden is a short, three-block walk north.
5 E. 47th St., Manhattan
You’d have better luck parking at the Top of the Rock. The zone right outside Rockefeller Center between Fifth and Madison avenues was responsible for 344 freshly minted tickets.
Along with being adjacent to the famed plaza, this space is also a few short blocks south of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the many designer stores along Fifth Avenue.
135 West 50th St., Manhattan
There were 339 tickets dealt at this spot between Sixth and Seventh avenues — one which is also very close to a public garage.
Attractions such as Radio City Music Hall, Times Square and Rockefeller Center are only a hop, skip and a jump away by foot, making this a potentially very costly day for hapless drivers who don’t read the signs.
37-27 74th St., Queens
The final spot on this list takes us back to the world’s borough! This busy Jackson Heights street saw 335 tickets during the study’s period.
Just off Broadway and in the shadow of the BQE, this location is close to a small public parking lot and sits near a large transit junction and extensive retail corridor. It’s also closet to the public transit hub of the E, F, M, R and 7 trains — food for thought for anyone who wants to check out the area’s lively scene while avoiding unanticipated fines.
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