New NYC Council bill would reward NYers for calling in illegal parking complaints

New York City is mulling a policy that would effectively deputize people who call in complaints about cars illegally blocking bike lanes and intersections — and pay them up to $44 for each actionable tip they make.

The policy proposal, which is laid out in a bill from Councilman Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn), would empower the city’s Transportation Department to enlist civilians to flag parking scofflaws, who could then be subjected to fines of up to $175.

Each legit tip would then result in a 25% cut of “any proceeds collected as a result” of the process, according to the City Council’s website.

NYPD officer writing parking ticket in New York. (Shutterstock/)

“Too many parents with strollers, people in wheelchairs and bicyclists face unsafe conditions every day because of sidewalks and bike lanes obstructed by illegal parking,” said Restler (D-Brooklyn) on Monday. “NYPD has refused to take this issue seriously, so it’s time to empower and incentivize citizens to help make our streets safer.”

Restler’s bill would create a new violation and civil penalty for “hazardous obstruction” of bike lanes, bus lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks and fire hydrants when violators are within 1,320 feet of a school building.

Violations would be adjudicated through the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

Legislation would revoke an estimated 60,000 parking placards from NYC employees

The bill would require the city’s Department of Transportation to create a civilian reporting program where eagle-eyed observers could submit complaints as well as evidence of alleged violations. The Transportation Department would, in turn, bring the proceedings before OATH using the evidence submitted.

An NYPD spokesperson pushed back on Restler’s claim that it does not take illegal parking violations seriously, noting that, over the past year, it has issued 52,837 summonses for parking in bike lanes, 2,008 moving violations in bike lanes, 25,244 summonses for parking in a bus lane, 33,638 summonses for parking on a sidewalk, 513,435 summonses for parking at hydrants and 69,389 summonses for parking in a crosswalk.

The police department also predicted there would almost certainly be negative consequences from the city relying on people grassing on their neighbors.

“The proposed law will pit neighbor against neighbor and will likely lead to violence,” the spokesperson predicted. “Our hard-working Traffic Enforcement Agents, who wear an NYPD uniform and have extra legal protection enshrined in state law, are assaulted dozens of times per year after issuing summonses. This law would outsource that risk to everyday New Yorkers. The legislation, while well-intentioned, leads to more problems than it solves.”