Streets in the Financial District predate the automobile and are very narrow by today's standards. Park cars on both sides and you're likely to get a bottleneck that jams up surrounding blocks.
But tell that to the placard-holding Street Cheats who frequently take over both curbs on Pine Street between William and Nassau, causing headache-inducing scenes like the one captured on video by our tipster.
Metered commercial parking lines the south side of Pine, and the north side is a no standing zone. Where there's designated car-free curb space, however, there are bound to be placard abusers to fill it up.
Placards also bring an unmanageable amount of traffic to downtown streets. A study by Bruce Schaller estimated that 19,200 vehicles are drawn into Manhattan by free placard parking every day. Letting placard holders park all over the place compounds the problem.
"This is one of the worst pedestrian experiences in the whole city and these placard holders are a big reason why," writes our tipster. "Aside from the white box truck, the only non-placards parked here were two cars with people sitting in them with the engines running."
Congestion pricing would help thin traffic in Lower Manhattan. And as our tipster suggests, so would a network of downtown streets that prioritize walking and limit motor vehicle traffic to deliveries.
Watch in the video as police from the 1st Precinct get bogged down with everyone else. If only NYPD could do something about placard abusers clogging the streets.
Tired of Street Cheats stealing public space where you are? Send your photos to tips@streetsblog.org, and follow along as we map NYC placard abuse.
