MTA Workers Park All Over Sidewalks Outside Astoria Facility

Public transit for thee, but not for me.

MTA workers are illegally parking on sidewalks outside a transit complex in Astoria — with some leaving MTA-branded high-visibility vests on their dashboards, seemingly to avoid tickets.

Streetsblog counted 26 cars illegally parked outside the building on April 17.

The rampant illegal parking in the area dates back to at least November 2020, according to Google Street View. One section of the sidewalk near a fire hydrant has actually started crumbling from the constant strain of the multi-ton cars sitting where they should not:

The cars have racked up thousands of dollars in traffic violations. One Honda with a vest on its dashboard parked on the sidewalk on 31st Street had more than $8,300 in fines, including for two bus lane violations, nine speeding violations and 128 parking violations, according to city ticket data posted on How’s My Driving NY. The owner of a Toyota Highlander had 33 speed camera violations and two bus lane violations going back to 2018.

MTA workers often use hi-vis vests on the dashboard to avoid parking tickets, taking advantage of the NYPD’s deference to illegal parking by municipal employees, who usually identify themselves with government-issued parking placards.

A group of watchful citizens has been documenting illegal placard abuse for more than 10 years under the Twitter account @placardabuse. 

The group wrote in an article for Streetsblog in January that, in theory, placard holders “may only use their permits in authorized areas and for specific reasons related to their employment.” But, in practice, “placarded drivers park wherever and whenever they desire, regardless of whether they’re performing their official job duties.”

In 2024, the Department of Investigation found that there were more than 100,000 parking placards in circulation between the Department of Education, DOT and NYPD.

However, the NYPD is often loath to enforce the law when it comes to illegal parking; in fact, police precincts are some of the worst offenders of illegal parking. The problem has reached such a fevered pitch that a growing number of community boards want DOT to take over parking enforcement. 

“Enforcement is not meeting the needs of our city’s population,” said Jason Froimowitz, a member of Manhattan Community Board 6. “We’re constantly trying to work around the fact that there’s a lack of enforcement.”

Asked about the illegal parking outside the MTA’s, a rep for the agency told Streetsblog that all New Yorkers are required to follow the law and rules of the road and that workers found to violate the law are “subject to discipline.”

A local tipster sent Streetsblog photos from the location that included several vehicles with FDNY placards. An NYPD spokesperson who did not provide a name told Streetsblog that personnel from the 114th Precinct “are in contact with the MTA facility management.”

The police spokesperson said the department received “only” 26 complaints of illegal parking in the facility’s vicinity since 2020, and issued 67 parking summonses.