By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — The Upper West Side's Community Board 7 wants Sunday drivers to pony up for street parking.
The community board on Tuesday night called on the city to bring back paid parking on Sunday in Community Board 7's territory, which stretches from Columbus Circle to West 110th Street, between Central Park West and the Hudson River.
But the move doesn't mean Sunday drivers will have to open their wallets any time soon; the City Council first has to approve charging for sabbath parking.
Right now drivers who park at street meters get a break on Sundays, thanks to a 2005 vote by the City Council.
The council's decision was based in part on the idea that it's not fair to charge church-goers to "pay to pray."
Community Board 7 member Marc Glazer says the free parking encourages drivers to linger for hours, which means there's less parking for businesses along major thoroughfares like Columbus Avenue.
Glazer says the Upper West Side has lost 1,000 parking spaces since 2007, and visitors are forced to "drive around and around the blocks looking for a parking spot, wasting gas and polluting the environment."
His arguments were enough to win over his fellow community board members, who passed the resolution 21-12, with five members abstaining.
But to make Glazer's dream a reality, he'll need the support of the City Council.
Glazer said Tuesday City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, supports his idea, but worries how it could affect some community members.
Glazer said he'll ask Brewer to introduce legislation to create the Sunday paid parking zone.
