For years, the city and state have vowed to crackdown on parking placard abuse by lawmakers, police, and other state officials. But despite their best efforts, officials keep getting caught misusing the parking permits, adding to a sense of imbalance between haves and have-nots. But after a new state probe earlier this week which condemned the widespread misuse, the Cuomo administration announced yesterday that new limits will be placed on the placards, and nearly 1,500 state officials will lose theirs. "They may have to circle the block [like everyone else]," said Howard Glaser, Cuomo's state operations director. more ›

Pregnant ladies already get to eat just about any crazy ol' thing they want, but one politician wants to make sure they can park wherever they want to as well. Councilman David Greenfield plans to introduce legislation next week that would grant special parking placards to pregnant women whose doctors say they have physical or mobility challenges. "If I'm on a train and a pregnant woman walks in, I stand up and offer her my seat. I consider this legislation to be the same thing - standing up on the City Council for women who have difficult pregnancies," said Greenfield. more ›

Unless you have a magical illegal parking placard, parking in this city sucks big time. It's bad enough that you're competing with thousands of other cranky drivers for metered spaces, but it turns out you may also be competing with restaurant valets in certain areas! more ›

Police and firefighters park their vehicles at expired meters and in the middle of bike lanes all over town, but in Brooklyn the violations are particularly rampant, prompting outrage on blogs like Brownstoner. Now the Daily News has chimed in, confirming a "slew of trouble spots" where unmarked vehicles belonging to cops, firefighters and other government workers park illegally with impunity. On Jay Street reporters found 18 cars parked at expired meters; most "appeared" to be owned by cops or firefighters. Over on Adams Street, more than 20 cars were parked in a "No Standing Anytime" zone last week, displaying various permits including the NYPD and the court officers union. Also on Adams, a Chevy Blazer with a police department placard was parked in the bike lane. As anyone cyclist knows, cops love bike lane parking, and other motorists routinely block bike lanes with impunity. A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg reminded the News that the city has slashed the number of placards issued to government workers by 54%. But Michael Burke of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership says parking laws need to be enforced because "it adds to a sense of lawlessness in the community." more ›

A number of police unions representing different segments of the NYPD filed a joint complaint against the City with the Board of Collective Bargaining, saying that Mayor Bloomberg's effort to cut the number of park-anywhere-you-feel-like placards is an economic hardship and a violation of state labor laws. The suit does acknowledge that there is nothing in union contracts regarding the issuance of placards, however. more ›

One of the lead detectives in the murder of Imette St. Guillen was ticketed and suspended for using a photocopied parking placard in Brooklyn last week. The ticket was issued in front of the Brooklyn Supreme Court, where Det. Sean McTighe parked in front of a fire hydrant. more ›

By contrast, there were about 11,000 spaces in Lower Manhattan available for drivers with placards, including spots designated for authorized vehicles, loading zones, no-parking zones, and all the metered and unregulated spaces open to the public. Many placards allow free parking in metered spaces.Reducing the number of placards issued by the City has been a goal of Mayor Bloomberg's second term. The Mayor wants to reduce the number of placards issued to civil servants by 20%. Currently, there are more than 140,000 vehicles with free-parking placards, not including counterfeit and expired emblems. more ›

Demonstrating just how valuable free parking in New York City is, a rash of smash and grab thefts has struck areas in Washington Heights and the Bronx, where firefighters have had their car windows broken and parking placards stolen. Most of the thefts have occurred right outside of firehouses, usually when members are called out to a fire, according to the New York Post. more ›