News

Illegal Parking

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

By Jeff Rossen

(New York- WABC, February 27, 2007) (WABC) -- Trying to find a parking space in New York City is next to impossible. But even more frustrating -- people who park illegally and get away with it. It's What's Bugging You.

Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for government workers. Problem is, they get special treatment that hurts the rest of us because they are allowed to park illegally all day long.

I'm not talking about emergencies where they're rushing to a scene. Many do it just parking for work -- and you're forced to drive around, fighting for leftovers.

Now there's a new way to fight back.

It didn't take long to find the outraged today or the root of it: personal cars of government officials lining the streets in no parking zones.

"It's just not fair to the common folk," one person told us.

But there's just one thing the common folk doesn't have -- that city issued placard. We're told 150,000 are given to teachers, police officers, fire officials and court workers. It might as well be a gold card for getting out of a parking ticket.

Not only do they park in illegal zones, they sit in expired meters ticket free as you scrounge for spots.

"They're treated special. I'm not treated special and I think I'm special ... so what are we going to do? That's what's bugging me!" a person told us.

All you need is a camera to take pictures of the offenders and publish them on a new Web site -- uncivilservants.org. It's not up yet, but will be so on March 15th, courtesy of a local transportation group trying to end what it calls an abuse of power.

"Many governmental employees are forging them, giving them to family members, xeroxing them," a member of the transportation group said.

In Brooklyn, we just pointed our camera and found car after car in no parking zones -- and official placards right there on the dashboard. And surprise: no ticket.

According to a recent survey, 77 percent of people with placards use them illegally. So, I asked the NYPD what they are doing to stop this. They told me, we discipline ourselves.

Basically, if a cop is caught abusing the placard, they may not get a ticket. But instead, will be punished at work.

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