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Parking Placards

Serial City Parking Permit Abuser Snagged by Streetsblog Placard “Crackdown” Smackdown

The Human Resources Administration says it took this city car away from a serial placard abuser. But what about the next staffer who drives it?

There's one less NYC employee abusing a parking placard.

After Streetsblog published photos of a Human Resources Administration employee repeatedly stowing a city-owned vehicle in no parking zones in Inwood, the agency says it has taken action.

“We take the misuse and abuse of city parking privileges seriously," HRA spokesperson Lourdes Centeno told Streetsblog in an email. "Despite multiple warnings, this employee continued to violate the privilege and as a result we’ve taken away the vehicle.”

Centeno said the agency is pursuing additional disciplinary action against the employee, whom HRA declined to identify.

Of course it's possible the vehicle in question will be used by another staffer who will just pick up where the first placard abuser left off. As long as NYPD ignores parking rule violators -- many of whom are cops -- and Mayor de Blasio hands out placards like candy, misuse by city employees will remain a problem.

Word is the mayor didn't mention placard abuse at a Wednesday closed-door meeting with traffic enforcement agents, which is further evidence that de Blasio's so-called "crackdown" is about as genuine as a New York State Numismatic Agency permit.

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