“The Real Housewives of New York City” star Carole Radziwill is defending herself after racking up $8,000 in New York City parking tickets over the past six years.
During an appearance on Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast, Radziwill, 63, pushed back against criticism of her parking habits and insisted she follows the city’s street-cleaning rules.
Radziwill, who lives in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, recently drew attention after saying she uses orange traffic cones to discourage parking enforcement officers from ticketing her vehicle.
Despite the controversy surrounding her parking practices, Radziwill said she has no intention of changing her routine.
“I’ll never change the way I park,” she declared.
Carole Radziwill Defends $8,000 in Parking Fines and Calls Her Record ‘Legend Status’
According to the New York Post, Radziwill accumulated approximately $8,000 in parking violations since 2020, including 17 tickets for failing to comply with alternate-side street-cleaning regulations.
However, the former Bravo star argued that receiving 17 such tickets over six years was actually an accomplishment.
“Thank you New York Post for doing the research. I only had 17 alt-sides tickets. That is like legend status,” Radziwill said.
“Over six years, that’s three a year. Find someone who has a better record than that.”
The reality star also claimed she actively confronts other drivers who refuse to move their vehicles when street sweepers arrive.
“I’m the one who, if people are sitting in their car and they don’t pull out, I will bang on their window and be like, ‘No, no, you’re not just sitting here. You gotta move because we need the streets clean,'” she explained.
New York City’s alternate-side parking regulations require drivers to move their vehicles during designated street-cleaning periods.
Radziwill said she takes those requirements seriously and criticized drivers who deliberately ignore them.
“Those people, they don’t move their car usually and they don’t care about the ticket,” she said. “I don’t like that.”
RHONY Star Addresses Traffic Cone Trick and Expired FDNY Parking Placard
Radziwill’s parking practices became a public controversy after she discussed using Con Edison traffic cones during a recent episode of “The Real Housewives of New York City.”
The reality star claimed she keeps the cones in her vehicle and places them on its roof when parking in questionable locations.
“The cone is a cop family hack. If I’m parked illegally or slightly too close to a hydrant, they will keep on walking,” she said.
The publication subsequently located Radziwill’s red Jeep Cherokee and reported finding two orange Con Edison cones in the trunk.
Reporters also saw an expired FDNY parking placard under the windshield.
The findings landed Radziwill on the newspaper’s front page, drawing additional attention to her parking history.
Rather than distancing herself from the controversy, Radziwill defended her approach and explained why she prefers to park on the street.
“I think people think it’s like a money thing, that I don’t want to park it in the garage because they’re expensive,” she said. “It absolutely isn’t, it’s not.”
“I would not have a car in the city if it was in a garage because I use my car. Almost every day I use it.”
Carole Radziwill Explains Why Paying Parking Tickets Costs Less Than a Garage
Radziwill confirmed that she has paid her outstanding parking fines and compared the cost of those violations with renting a parking space in SoHo.
The reality star estimated that a neighborhood parking garage could cost approximately $800 per month.
Over six years, that expense would total roughly $57,600, significantly more than the $8,000 she accumulated in violations.
“Eight thousand dollars is by the way nothing, it’s $100 a month over the six years because parking is expensive in the city,” she said.
Although Radziwill acknowledged the financial difference, she maintained that convenience, not avoiding garage fees, drives her decision to park on the street.
“I love the city. I love my car. I love freedom of having that car right outside my door,” she explained.
She also rejected the suggestion that her ticket history makes her bad at following alternate-side parking regulations.
“And as the New York Post has shown, I’m really (expletive) good at alt sides, OK? There you are.”
Radziwill is currently dodging accusations from her RHONY co-stars in season 16 about her involvement in the Estein Files. New episodes drop Tuesday nights on Bravo.
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Carole Radziwill Defends Controversial Parking ‘Hack’ After $8,000 in Fines and Expired FDNY Placard