New York City expanding crackdown against parking placard abuse
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday announced the expansion of a crackdown against parking placard abuse.
The mayor's plan to tackle fake placards and abuse of legitimate ones -- which includes replacing physical placards with a digital parking management system -- builds on on previous enforcement he says led to a 93 percent increase in summonses for illegal parking.
Officials say the plan will be accomplished with an increase in penalties, a strict three-strike policy for misusing a placard, culminating in revocation and dedicated DOT placard enforcement unit.
De Blasio said a newly enforcement team of traffic agents will issue tickets and target placard abuse in the trouble spot neighborhoods.
He plans to increase the fine for placard abuse from a $50 parking violation to a $250 offense would require state approval.
Placards found to be misused three times would be revoked under the three-strike policy, according to the mayor.
"Placard abuse erodes faith in government and has no place in our city," he said. "It's simply a question of fairness. Misused and fraudulent placards increase congestion and pose a public safety risk. These initiatives give us the tools we need to start making a real dent in this pervasive issue, to help build a fairer city for all."
Local leaders have been calling for a crackdown on government workers who use their placards to park illegally in front of fire hydrants, bus stops, crosswalks or in other restricted parking areas.
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