Ex-MTA Boardmember Caught Using Police Tags Illegally

While Governor Paterson talks high and mightily about the future of New York State, here in New York City things are business as usual. Paterson briefly mentioned the MTA and building the projects that were proposed eighty years ago, such as the Second Avenue subway line. That certainly sounds exciting, unlike the story of ex-boardmember Alan Friedberg.

From The NY Daily News:

Alan Friedberg left the MTA board six years ago, but he's still tooling around town in his snazzy red Jaguar with a police-issued parking permit.

Friedberg defied an order from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to return an MTA police-issued permit that lets him park just about anywhere.

On Sunday, Friedberg took full advantage of the perk - stowing the $76,000 luxury vehicle in a restricted zone on 43rd St. near Broadway theaters. His traveling party Sunday included his wife, wrapped in a full-length fur coat, and another couple.

"This vehicle is on official police business," states the MTA Police Department placard displayed prominently inside the 2008 Jag.

How is it that an ex-boardmember still has a tag that expires in February of this year is ridiculous. While the MTA asked for the placard back last year, it should have been forcibly taken from him after he initially refused. And when illegally used, police should have towed his car and impounded it for him his fraudlent use of the perk.

For Those With Special Permits In NYC, Watch Where You Park It

Have you ever searched in vain for parking around the city, only to find none while a seemingly brave few take spots in front of hydrants and bus stops? If you glance at the cars they have a special permit allowing them to park their cars in areas where the normal New Yorker can not.

These special permit holders include police, government officials, a certain few who are 'connected' and others simply make counterfeit copies. The big problem with the permits is that many of those who have them abuse the privilege they afford. Intended to be used in front of courthouses and police stations, plenty of permit holders park in front of fire hydrants, bus stops and in handicap spaces. What is even worse is that few offenders are ever prosecuted. So there is a new cop in town that is taking up the charge of holding these people accountable.

From The New York Times:

The site, nyc.uncivilservants.org, is run by Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group that argues that municipal employees, especially the police, abuse their city-issued parking permits.

(snip)

The Web site allows anyone to anonymously post photographs of cars that seem to be parked illegally and include as much information as possible to identify the offender. In just a few days, the site also has become a popular forum for impassioned exchanges in the city’s survival-of-the-swiftest struggles over one of its scarce resources.

(snip)

The illegal parking is hazardous, critics add, because it blocks hydrants and bus stops, and forces drivers without permits to double-park and slow or stop other traffic.

Transportation Alternatives plans to use information from the Web site to file state Freedom of Information requests to see how government agencies regulate parking permits, especially how expired permits are returned; how agencies educate permit holders on what they may and may not do; and other matters.

Police officials accuse the group of going to far. Posting cops license plates and other information is dangerous because it lets criminals know about certain government officials and policemen they say. The NYPD also said that they towed 12 cars with permits last week for parking abuses. It is amusing to me that the NYPD can tout that statistic while the website was up and running, I'd like to see what was done before the site started earlier this month. For 'Uncivil Servants' to get 10,000 page views a day already, the public is well aware of the problems concerning this issue.