The Parking Pass

One of my favorite things New York City does for our family is the parking pass.  It is much better than the tags that let you park in a better space in a lot.  The pass is issued by the New York City Department of Transportation.  It allows us to park in No Parking zones, No Standing Except Trucks Loading and Unloading, and No Standing Except Authorized Vehicles.  We don't pay for meters or move for street cleaning.  The pass is issued to our son, for his use.  He gets it because he is not ambulatory.

We use it to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the MOMA, Lincoln Center - all places where there is rarely, if ever, street parking, and the lots are very expensive.  In a big city, where the subway is not accessible, the buses are slow and most taxis don't take wheelchairs, the pass makes the difference between going places and staying home.

Here is the link:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/permits/nyc-pppd.shtml

 A recent change in the rules allows non-residents of New York City to get one.  It used to be that you had to prove that you worked or went to school here, but not anymore.

I need to thank Julie for this.  She is another parent, with a child in a wheelchair, who told me about the pass 5 years ago.  She also told us how to get a Medicaid Waiver for our son, but that is a post for another day.