Free Parking

Since the earliest days of the automobile -- and maybe even before -- having a place to park was a commodity hot enough to inspire abuse and corruption.

Mayor Bloomberg recently fired the latest salvo in the war on parking abuses. In today's Times, under the headline "Paring Down Parking Permits, and Raising a Fuss," Anthony Ramirez reports:

All around the city, where fevered drivers try in vain to find parking on the street and angry pedestrians try to squeeze past illegally parked cars, New Yorkers on Friday were talking or blogging or posting to message boards about Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to reduce by 20 percent the number of parking permits issued to police officers, firefighters, teachers and employees of an array of city agencies.

Mayor Ed Koch promised much the same 22 years ago:

July 25, 1986
CITY PLANS TO CURTAIL AND CONTROL PERMITS FOR OFFICIAL PARKING

In a move to cut traffic congestion in the City Hall area, all parking permits for city employees -- estimated to number 15,000 -- will be eliminated next Feb. 1, Mayor Koch announced yesterday.

New permits for the free, on-street spots will be issued solely by the Police Department and a new central review committee, the Mayor said.

And Mayor Abe Beame 11 years before that.

July 24, 1975
MAYOR ENDS POLITICAL PARKING PERMITS

By RALPH BLUMENTHAL

The Taxi and Limousine Commission, under orders from Mayor Beame, yesterday rescinded the permits it had issued to political leaders and other non commission personnel giving them parking privileges at hundreds of taxi stands around the city.

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Since the earliest days of the automobile -- and maybe even before -- having a place to park was a commodity hot enough to inspire abuse and corruption.

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