Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella has publicly expressed his opposition to a proposed City Council bill aimed at removing parking spaces near intersections throughout New York City, including Staten Island.
Fossella’s dissent was articulated in a video he shared on social media, where he criticized Intro 1138, legislation intended to enhance pedestrian visibility at intersections through a method called “daylighting.”
The bill, originally sponsored by Councilmember Julie Won, a Democrat from Queens, seeks to prohibit parking within 20 feet of any intersection that has a crosswalk.
In the video, Fossella highlights the potential loss of parking as a significant concern, arguing it would negatively impact residents across Staten Island.
He associated the legislation with what he perceives as New York City’s broader “anti-car culture,” linking it with existing bike lanes and speed camera initiatives.
To illustrate the implications of the proposed distance restriction, Fossella demonstrated measuring out 20 feet from an intersection, which he noted is roughly equal to the length of a typical car.
A spokesperson for Fossella later clarified that he does support the concept of daylighting at specific intersections, but opposes the bill’s broad approach that does not take local context into account.
Furthermore, Fossella pointed out that the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) has also expressed opposition to the mandated changes that Intro 1138 would require.
He emphasized this point, asserting, “Even the agency that pushes bike lanes that we don’t want or takes lanes away for driving — even that agency is opposed to this proposal.”
In response to Fossella’s statements regarding the bill, a DOT spokesperson referenced a report published earlier in the year indicating that there has been no significant increase in pedestrian safety at intersections where daylighting is implemented without physical barriers.
The spokesperson further noted that equipping all city intersections with necessary physical barriers would exceed the DOT’s annual budget by more than double.
“Every New Yorker deserves safe streets, and under Vision Zero we are making historic progress to reduce traffic injuries and deaths across our city using data-driven life-saving tools like bike lanes,” the DOT spokesperson added.
They also highlighted an ongoing commitment to utilizing a data-driven approach with their daylighting report, aiming to improve the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and everyone who shares roadways.
Earlier this year, legislators backing the daylighting bill criticized the DOT’s findings, labeling the report as “deeply flawed” in a statement reported by City & State NY.
As it stands, the universal daylighting bill is currently under consideration in the City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, with no immediate action on the proposal expected.
Should the bill pass and be signed into law, DOT officials predict that approximately 300,000 parking spaces — around 10% of all free parking in New York City — could be removed as a result of the legislation.
Of the 26 council members sponsoring the daylighting initiative, only one, Councilmember Frank Morano, a Republican representing Staten Island’s South Shore, has voiced support for the bill.
When discussing his endorsement, Morano acknowledged the car-centric culture of Staten Island, stating, “Look, no one loves their cars more than Staten Islanders — I get that, I live it. But even in a car-loving district like mine, people want to be able to see when they’re turning, and they don’t want their kid or their neighbor getting hit at an intersection because a van was blocking the crosswalk.”
He emphasized that the bill is aimed at improving visibility and safety rather than stemming from ideological beliefs.
Morano also shared a personal perspective, suggesting that measures like universal daylighting could have potentially prevented accidents affecting loved ones, including his stepmother, who was injured while crossing a street.
Earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul also introduced a similar proposal, advocating for the removal of parking spaces and banning parking near elementary school crosswalks across the five boroughs.
While New York state law prohibits parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, the city currently holds an exemption allowing it to set its own regulations, which have been limited to banning parking directly in crosswalks.
image source from：silive
