Bloomberg To Propose More Electric Car Parking, Styrofoam Ban

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- On the eve of his State of the City address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg had a new ban in store, as well as a parking proposal that might drive some New Yorkers crazy.

As CBS 2's Dick Brennan reported Wednesday, if you plug in, Mayor Bloomberg has some good news for you. In the address set for Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, he will propose more parking spaces geared toward electric cars.

"Twenty percent of any new parking spaces created in the city – and this would be a building code requirement – would have to be capable of being wired so they are able to charge electric vehicles," said Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway.

The city actually creates 10,000 new spots every year, in newly-constructed buildings. But right now, the city has only 100 public charging stations.

So what do drivers think?

"We don't have enough parking spots on the street, and now you're going to eliminate parking spots from our indoor garages?" one woman said.

"How many people have electric cars?" a man said. "How many people can afford an electric car?"

The city said demand will grow, and some New Yorkers think it is time to get ahead of the curve.

"I think it's a great idea," said Michael Wetzel of the Lower East Side, "because we need to start taking care of ourselves, and taking care of our kids and our planet."

"Electric cars are way overdue," added Eric Perez of the Lower East Side. "I think more people should be using them."

Mayor Bloomberg will also propose doubling recycling to 30 percent by 2017, and banning Styrofoam.

"It ends up in landfills, and it contaminates other recyclables," Holloway said.

The City Council will have to approve the Styrofoam ban and parking proposal, and of course, New Yorkers will have their say.

The issue of banning Styrofoam is divided.

"Wonderful idea – I'm all for it," said Andrew Einhorn of the Lower East Side.

But the man who questioned the electric car idea said of the Styrofoam ban, "I wish the mayor good luck, but I don't think it's going to work."

City Hall is confident it will get its proposals through the City Council, but it could take a couple of months.

Overall, 1010 WINS' Stan Brooks reported, Bloomberg is expected to paint a rosy picture for his 12th and last State of the City address.

He is expected to bring up the record low number of murders and civilian fire deaths, record high school graduation rates, and record high life expectancy.

But Comptroller John Liu, who would like to be the next mayor, said he sees things differently.

"Unemployment in New York City is at near-record highs – much higher than the rest of the country," he said. "We have a wealth gap that is splitting the city and curtailing our future economic prospects."

Liu added that while high school graduation rates may be up, the percentage of New Yorkers with college degrees is falling behind other major cities.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn delivered her own State of the City address to the City Council on Monday, calling for greater opportunity and developing rundown neighborhoods to create jobs.

But not everyone had positive things to say about Quinn's speech. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who is himself running for mayor, called the speech "kabuki theater."

Would you support a Styrofoam ban or more spaces for electric cars? Leave your comments below...

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• Electric Vehicles