Parking remains a challenge for Norwood residents and employees who work in the neighborhood. But a campaign led by Councilman Andrew Cohen was able to chip away at one of the top issues that have long plagued the north Bronx community.

“I gave them a list, and they made good on it.” Cohen said, to the city Department of Transportation, which moved ahead with the traffic regulation change.

It’s at the quiet section on Putnam Place between East Gun Hill Road and Reservoir Oval East where the DOT removed a “No Parking Monday/Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.” restriction, replacing it with a less severe “No Parking Monday/ Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.” sign.

Last year, Cohen examined the lack of parking for himself, finding that Norwood not only had a lack of spots but potential spots were not being used due to outdated signage. Cohen followed up with the DOT, which led to the new spaces opening.

Though the new spots can be welcoming to the neighborhood, it’s not a quick fix to the daily challenge of finding one.

From Reservoir Oval to Gates Place, scouring for a spot can be a time-consuming endeavor. In one parking horror story, Cohen heard of a driver forced to sleep in their car because they couldn’t secure a spot.

Cohen hopes to ensure parking is more accessible in Norwood. “I am going

to continue to look on a spot by spot basis. I think that can make a difference,” Cohen said.

Weekdays are so problematic, employees around the neighborhood find themselves moving their vehicles on what is supposed to be their lunch break. Or even having to park in inconvenient spaces or pay a fee for garage parking.

Emma, a hospital employee spent 90 minutes looking for parking. It was so bad that not only did she have to park by Van Cortlandt Park, she then had to walk 20 minutes from her space to work.

A Norwood resident stood in disbelief when learning about the new public parking spots made available in Putnam Place. He said, “You look around for parking at night and you end up going upstairs at daylight.” While shaking his head “no,” he was unaware of any new public parking spots around the neighborhood.

Israel Gonzalez, another resident, shared the difficulties he has with finding parking spaces in the area. He was aware that Putnam Place had new parking spots made available for the public. But he said that doesn’t change anything because he eventually has to park on Jerome Avenue, several blocks away from Putnam Place.

“The problem is that the hospital is there, and the school is there and during the weekdays the nurses, doctors, and teachers start looking for parking spaces and when you look for a spot during the afternoon you won’t find a parking spot.”

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.