Nanny of the Week: New York City plans to ban out-of-state cars

1/27/2015

Part 31 of 31 in the series Nanny State of the Week

By Eric Boehm 

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

But parking your tires, your Ford or your Honda with a Massachusetts license plate on the streets of New York overnight certainly won’t be free.

Shutterstock image

NOT WELCOME: A Queens assemblyman wants to let New York City tow out-of-state vehicles parked on public streets overnight.

At least that’s the idea behind a proposal to ban overnight parking for out-of-state cars in New York City. Michael Miller, a Queens assemblyman, wants to tow away any cars left on city streets between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. that don’t have a New York license plate.

Because no one from outside New York State ever visits the Big Apple and spends the night, right?

Tourists could be in for a rude awakening when, upon awakening, they find their car is missing. Instead of spending the day at one of New York’s famed museums or attractions, they’ll be navigating the depths of the city’s impound lots and forced to pay at least $185 to get their vehicle back.

Nothing like really getting the local experience, am I right?

But Miller has his reasons for pushing the proposal — and like many nanny state ideas, it all boils down to making sure everyone is paying their tribute to the taxman.

“By registering out-of-state, you are either committing fraud by not registering your vehicle in New York state or you are avoiding paying state Department of Motor Vehicles fees,” he told the New York Post, which reported on the proposal this week.

Miller said his proposal would allow out-of-staters to purchase an “exemption sticker” to protect their vehicles from the city’s predatory tow trucks.

AAA says the policy would be “shortsighted and unfair” because it would prevent some people from coming to New York City and spending the night.

It could also be another blow in a long-simmering conflict between the city and private rental services like AirBnb, which has been banned in the city but continues to operate. Tourists looking to spend the night in The Big Apple will now have an added reason to find a hotel with a parking lot or garage, rather than leaving their car on the street while sleeping in an apartment.

Regardless of the consequences, there are plenty of reasons to dislike the idea that one car is “legal” while another is “illegal” on a public street, based simply on the words and colors printed on a small piece of metal.

For his effort to give out-of-staters another thing to worry about when they visit New York City, Miller is this week’s winner. His prize is a very expensive trip to New York’s dingiest impound lot — under the Bruckner Expressway in a particularly unpleasant corner of the Bronx.

Part of 31 in the series Nanny State of the Week

1. Nanny-state state of the week: MD may become first to ban Vaportinis
2. Nanny-state city of the week: Minneapolis wants to ban take-out trays
3. Skim is in: CT lawmakers want to ban whole milk in day cares
4. Nanny state of the week: Fairfax, VA, wants to limit the right to assemble
5. Nanny state of the week: SC — and Schumer — for duplicative efforts to ban powdered alcohol
6. Nanny of the Week: Virginia hoses down car wash fundraisers
7. Nanny of the Week: Even a summertime trip to the beach can’t be nanny-free
8. Nanny of the week: Federal authorities think feral cats can read signs
9. Nanny of the week: Cambridge wants to ban ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft
10. Nanny-stater of the week: NY lawmaker wants to ban photos with tigers
11. Nanny-stater of the Week: Who needs cupcakes and candy? Here, have a pencil
12. Nanny-stater of the week: Fargo limits kids to less than four shots of juice per day
13. Nanny-stater of the week: Wisconsin towns fight repeal of bow ban
14. Nanny of the week: No fun in the sun, thanks to Congress and FDA
15. Nanny-stater of the week: DOT to ban cell phone use on planes
16. Nanny of the week: The out-of-control trend of arresting non-helicopter moms
17. Nanny of the Week: Vermont city could ban ‘human activity’
18. Nanny of the Week: Mississippi makes bird feeders illegal – by accident
19. Nanny of the week: MO town bans breastfeeding near pools
20. Nanny of the Week: School bans lip balm, 11 year-old girl fights back
21. Watchdog.org blows lid off Vermont’s bake sale brownie ban
22. Nanny of the Week: Seattle imposes fine on residents who throw away food
23. Nanny of the Week: California bans plastic bags
24. Nanny of the week: Maybe this time it will be different for Chicago
25. Nanny of the Week: Florida growls at craft breweries’ growlers
26. Nanny of the Week: Massachusetts town seeking to ban tobacco faces uprising from residents
27. Nanny of the Week: Proposed bans on Thanksgiving Day shopping
28. Nanny of the week: U.S. government bans ‘Comfyballs’ underwear
29. Nanny of the Week: Better take down those holiday decorations
30. Nanny of the week: Towns ban sledding
31. Nanny of the Week: New York City plans to ban out-of-state cars

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