"Pay To Pray" Parking Rules Are Officially Over

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"Pay To Pray" Parking Rules Are Officially Over
11/13/2005 09:41 AM
By: NY1 News

Free at last, free at last — the city's Sunday parking meters are finally free at last.

A month after the City Council voted to eliminate the city's so-called "Pay to Pray" parking rules, Sunday churchgoers are no longer required to feed the meters.

Churches in the city had been pushing for the change because people were leaving in the middle of services to add coins to the parking meters.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was against the plan, arguing that it would make it even harder to find parking because drivers would leave their cars parked at the meters all day.

But the City Council over-rode his veto on October 11.

"I think it's great," said one churchgoer Sunday morning. "Not too many people work on Sundays, so it's a great thing."

"You don't have to get up Sunday morning and move the car, so you can sleep a little later," said another.

Meters were free on Sundays up until two years ago, when the city first instituted the "Pay to Pray" rule.

The Department of Transportation began changing parking signs to reflect the new "free parking" rules earlier this month — but no matter what the signs say, Sunday drivers no longer need to feed the meter.