Placard Abuse Clogs Downtown Brooklyn Bike Lane

Illegally parked cars with government placards force trucks into Schermerhorn Street bike lane.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 4:05am

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A dynamic, fragmented painting of a delivery truck and cyclist in a bike lane, with the truck partially obscured by a swirling cloud of colorful government parking placards, conveying the chaotic impact of placard abuse on the city's transportation infrastructure.Placard abuse forces delivery trucks into a busy downtown Brooklyn bike lane, threatening cyclist safety.Brooklyn Today

Drivers with government-issued parking placards are filling up curb space set aside for truck deliveries on Schermerhorn Street in downtown Brooklyn, forcing trucks into the adjacent bike lane and undermining a crucial safe cycling connection. The Department of Transportation (DOT) says it is powerless to stop the rampant illegal placard abuse without NYPD, whose habitual inaction has spurred a community board to call on the city to take parking enforcement out of the hands of the police department.

Why it matters

The placard abuse issue has undermined multiple attempts to rationalize the streets in the downtown Brooklyn area, threatening the safety of bike lanes and other infrastructure projects. Residents are frustrated that a lack of enforcement is directly threatening the safety of these safety projects.

The details

DOT officials conceded that illegally parked cars with government placards are filling up delivery zones on Schermerhorn Street, forcing trucks into the adjacent bike lane. The two-way bike lane sees nearly 2,000 cyclists per day, but delivery vehicles routinely block it despite DOT setting aside loading zones along the corridor. However, those loading zones are filled with illegally parked cars with government-issued placards, according to DOT.

  • In 2022, DOT redesigned the protected bike lane on Schermerhorn Street.
  • In 2023, DOT redesigned the busway on Livingston Street.

The players

Department of Transportation (DOT)

The city agency responsible for transportation infrastructure and policy in New York City.

New York Police Department (NYPD)

The police department of New York City, which is responsible for parking enforcement but has shown little interest in addressing placard abuse.

Brooklyn Community Board 2

A local community board that has called for parking enforcement to be taken away from the NYPD and given back to DOT.

Sid Meyer

The Transportation Committee Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 2.

Lincoln Restler

A local Council Member who found there were 457 illegally parked cars per day on key routes in Downtown Brooklyn, with almost 60% having placards or theft vests.

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What they’re saying

“We've had lip service to this before. We've had deputy commissioners from [NYPD] come and tell us they're going to take care of it. It's just not done. This is a refrain we've been hearing for 20 years.”

— Sid Meyer, Transportation Committee Chair, Brooklyn Community Board 2

“A common theme of this entire conversation is a lack of enforcement is directly threatening the safety of these safety projects. That is the thing that's in the way of [DOT] safety projects being safe.”

— Andon Keller, Resident

What’s next

Brooklyn Community Board 2 voted unanimously to pass a resolution in support of giving parking enforcement back to DOT, rather than leaving it in the hands of the NYPD.

The takeaway

The rampant abuse of government parking placards in downtown Brooklyn is undermining the safety and effectiveness of crucial transportation infrastructure projects, highlighting the need for stronger parking enforcement and oversight of the placard system.