Bay Ridge and Bath Beach ranked among worst neighborhoods for parking

It’s not your imagination.

While parking anywhere in Brooklyn is typically no easy task, residents of Bay Ridge and Bath Beach have an even more difficult time finding the right spot — and there’s a study to prove it.

The study by Localize.city found that Bath Beach and Bay Ridge, tied with East Elmhurst, Queens, scored 70 complaints to 311 per every 1,000 residents over the past year, ranking ninth and 10th on a citywide list of neighborhoods whose residents gripe the most about difficulty parking.

The only Brooklyn neighborhood with more complaints is East Williamsburg, which claimed the number four spot. The remaining neighborhoods in the top 10 are all in Queens, with Long Island City winning the dubious distinction of being number one, with 127 complaints per 1,000 residents.

The same study also found that there were an additional 15,000 more cars on the road over the last five years, making parking spaces even harder to come by in all five boroughs, but Brooklyn especially.

In total, Brooklyn notched the second highest amount of parking complaints to 311 in New York City with 41 per 1,000, behind Queens, which logged 44 complaints per 1,000 over the past year, and which had the highest number of blocked driveway complaints, almost 24 for every 1,000 residents.

Brooklyn residents — who came in first in terms of other parking complaints to 311, 22 for every 1,000 residents — were found to complain the most during weekday mornings about finding parking nearby.

Localize.city president Steven Kalifowitz attributes the overall rise in complaints to New Yorkers being New Yorkers.

“New Yorkers like to complain about parking, and New York City has made it easier for them to do so,” Kalifowitz said. “The city’s 311 complaint hotline has added ways for people to complain about parking-related issues beyond calling.  In 2013, the city began allowing people to file complaints through a mobile app and online.”

In terms of what makes Bath Beach and Bay Ridge such tough parking areas, Kalifowitz blames the high amount of drivers in the area along with the lack of driveways and garages.

“Both areas have a lot of drivers and tend to lack enough driveways or garages for neighborhood cars. Bay Ridge has a thriving commercial area, and complaints are likely highest near its shopping corridors,” Kalifowitz explained.

While not much can be done about parking problems in South Brooklyn, Kalifowitz offers his advice to help prevent more complaints from being reported, “Obey the city’s parking regulations.”