A Much-Needed Crackdown

Kudos to the City Council for passing a package of bills to combat parking-placard abuse by city workers and other insiders. Speaker Corey Johnson spoke for pretty much everyone but the perk-exploiters: “Placard abuse is corruption, plain and simple.” And: “Street space in New York City is too valuable a commodity to let placards, both real and fake, have the run of the place.”

The package requires city workers to apply for placards, with the NYPD digitally tracking them, and doubles the fine for fraudulent or illegal placard use from $250 to $500. It also lets citizens report placard violators via 311, and obliges the NYPD to do at least 50 enforcement sweeps a week in areas generating 311 complaints. Serial abusers and anyone owing more than $350 in unpaid parking/traffic violations automatically lose their permits.

The bills will also bar city officials from blocking a bike or bus lane, bus stop, crosswalk, sidewalk or fire hydrant. (Five council members voted against that one: Robert Cornegy, Chaim Deutsch, Eric Ulrich and Kalman Yegar.)

Oh, and since cops are among the mostvisible placard abusers, the package grants the Department of Investigation enforcement oversight.

Mayor de Blasio, who supports the measures, should hold one of his Blue Room ceremonial bill-signing events to enact them into law. Send the clearest possible signal that the days of turning a blind eye to insider abuse are over.