Saturday, March 27, 2010

Placards a big part of Jamaica parking problem

From the Daily News:

Lined with municipal buildings, shops and outlet stores, the streets of downtown Jamaica seem like one big parking lot.

And with so many city workers taking advantage of parking placards and hogging up limited metered parking spots on the side streets off ever-busy Jamaica Ave., some local leaders are calling for the city to step up.

"They've gotten so blatantly ridiculous," City Councilman Leroy Comrie said of the cops that jam up traffic near the 103rd Precinct stationhouse.

Double-parking can bring streets to a standstill, but any laminated dashboard card can usually ward off hefty fines, Comrie said. And traffic agents are more focused on expired meters than the validity of a parking placard.

"We would love to see real enforcement of the illegal parking in the area," he said.

The advocacy group Transportation Alternatives has noted more than 60,000 city workers receive parking permits that allow them to park pretty much anywhere, anytime.

According to the group's research, 75% use them to park illegally in front of hydrants and in bus stops and crosswalks.

The group has called on Mayor Bloomberg to abolish them altogether.


Sounds good to me! Let them come down to the same level that the people they serve are at. Let them have their cars towed the same like what they do to us.

Photo from the Brooklyn Paper.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll give up my plack when the scumbags give up their welfare checks......................

kingb said...

thats really ironic "Anonymous"...calling someone a "scumbag" when you yourself are just as much a "welfare" recipient - paid for with our tax dollars.

Anonymous said...

There's a military recruiting office on the corner of Jamaica Ave and 165th Street, and they often park their cars in the bus lane (!) on Jamaica Avenue, without any care as to how that disrupts the flow of traffic. When they don't park there, they take up valuable meters on 165th St, even though there is a parking garage a block away -- and even though the Armory is easily within walking distance. Ditto for the police dept employees who park anywhere they want on the side streets surrounding the precinct, ignoring alternate-side restrictions. The signs around the Armory say that only NYPD people are allowed to park there, and yet none of them do, because they won't/can't walk the two blocks south. The only times that there are vehicles parked at the Armory are when the Nat'l Guard/Reserve people are doing their maneuvers -- otherwise, the area is empty. The Queens Library also parks their many, many vehicles at (unpaid) meters on the streets surrounding their Central Library, even though they have a big driveway/loading dock area behind the building -- they don't care how they inconvenience people who just want to park at a meter and run in and out of the Library quickly.

Anonymous said...

The group has called on Mayor Bloomberg to abolish them altogether.

Unless they are in a Police car, Fire Dept vehicule or Sanitation car (well marked) say goodbye to abuse if parking.

Private cars of City workers should not have free parking prevliges - no placards.

Anonymous said...

Expired inspection and registration sickers?

Queens Crapper said...

No, it's an old photo. This issue has been around for awhile.

Anonymous said...

I guess things will never change.

Jeffrey Tastes said...

someone should print and post on their cars bumper stickers reading "Abuse of Power"

cherokeesista said...

Anonymous said...
Expired inspection and registration sickers?

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Ticket the Fuckers just like everyone else:)

Anonymous said...

Why don't they give the cops parking garages?

Gary the Agnostic said...

Because, at least in the case of the 103rd Precinct, there are two very large parking lots across the street from their building.

Bob Marley said...

Why dem no give mi parking placard?

Ras clot!

Anonymous said...

I think we're the only city in the world that "allows" this kind of abuse.

Anonymous said...

I thought the traffic cops are now towing the detectives' cars. It's a start.

Anonymous said...

Ditto the earlier comment about getting garage spaces for these private cars.

Placards for daily parking of your personal car is sending the arrogant message "the rules we enforce on you, we don't have to follow".

Anonymous said...

If the city provided parking for its employees placards would not be needed. The city does not give a shit about cops or firefighters (because most live out of the city and aren't a part of the voting pool) therefore the city hands them placards to park wherever they need to WHEN THEY ARE AT WORK.

Yes they are abused but at the same time they are a necessity.

Anonymous said...

The placard you see in the photo is for a department vehicle.It is limited to city owned/leased vehicles only. The "placks" all cops get is a cardboard "restricted parking permit". It has the pct or detail printed on it's face,along with a control number and the vin and license plate of the car to which it is assigned.It can only be used in the very immediate area to which that person works. If it is used anywhere else the cop is given a summons,loses 5-10 vacation days and the permit is revoked for the year. Yeah,that's some perk!.As for other agencies,i know not of their policy.

Queens Crapper said...

"If it is used anywhere else the cop is given a summons,loses 5-10 vacation days and the permit is revoked for the year."

How many times do I see a car with a police placard parked at a hydrant or in a no standing zone, and another cop or traffic agent comes along as if to issue a summons, sees the placard, and keeps driving or walking to the car of the next poor schmuck that doesn't have one.

Rick said...

Take a look at E 22 Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenues. The signs state, "No Parking from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, yet the block is filled with parked cars every day. Who's there? Cars from the 13th Precinct two blocks away. They never get ticketed, because of their placards. But if a civilian parks there without the placard, it's guaranteed they'll get a summons.

Anonymous said...

Traffic monkeys love to give cops ticket,and anyone else.

Anonymous said...

In this little blog posting, a gem of a fundamental misunderstanding of what the nature of a government of the people, by the the people, for the people is all about. The parking spaces belong to the public, not to the city government. The idea that the city government "needs" to make parking available to its employees by taking away the spots that are intended to be shared throughout the day by the public is a abuse and for it to be defended here shows the sense of entitlement the placarded ones have -- such as Jerry Seinfeld's driver.