Apparent placard abuse creating parking pandemonium in Queens
NEW YORK -- Queens native Mansour M., who asked we withhold his full name, said it's parked-car chaos in Elmhurst near the Queens Center Mall.
Swaths of Horace Harding Expressway, including bus lanes, are repeatedly blocked.
"For the last 20 years, we have never been able to utilize this right-turn lane ever," he said.
READ MORE: Exclusive: CBS New York viewer blows whistle on reckless parking in Jamaica, Queens
The parent of a child with a disability, he has trouble navigating the area to bring his son to doctor's appointments. Along with numerous medical offices, the area is home to the Queens office of the city's Department for the Aging.
Rather than parking tickets on illegally-parked cars, he sees placards and badges on display in windshields, many claiming NYPD affiliation.
"It's just corruption 101," he said.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards says his office receives daily complaints of authority taking advantage of privilege when parking.
"They cannot self-police themselves on this issue, either," he said. "I think what needs to happen is those that are abusing their privilege, their placard should certainly be taken from them."
Advocates say it's a question of fairness versus favoritism. Keeping bus stops, bike lanes, and sidewalks clear, they argue, means supporting accessibility for all people.
Laura Shepard, Queens organizer for Transportation Alternatives, argues that space is already disproportionately allocated to cars in New York City.
"Placard abuse makes our streets more dangerous for everyone using them," she said.
In recent weeks, CBS New York pressed authorities after finding cars parked improperly around Jamaica Station, displaying MTA utility vests in windshields. Some action was taken to clear a bike lane, but clogging persists.
The MTA maintains that parking enforcement is the job of the NYPD. As for where police are the culprits, NYPD told CBS New York that parking space is limited near its precincts.
Mansour wants to see solutions soon for a more equitable city.
"There's many different parking lots they can park in. They have to pay like everybody else," he said.
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