Placard Abuse on Hoyt Street

Without fail, this Honda is parked on the Hoyt Street bike lane every weekday during my evening commute, making a sometimes dicey right turn from Schermerhorn into the bike lane on the left side of the street even dicier.  These three images were recently taken on three separate days:

Despite this post’s title it’s hard to call what’s happening on the Hoyt Street bike lane placard abuse, since this is the “placard” used by the car’s owner:

Those are cards from the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.  In addition, this faded piece of paper is also on the dash:

I couldn’t make out what it says, but the fact that it’s so faded is good evidence that this bike lane abuse has been going on forever.  What’s really galling about this is that there’s almost always an open space directly across the street:

If police officers can park with impunity in the bike lane, why can’t they park in a metered spot?  Surely those “placards” are enough to tell any Traffic Enforcement Agent not to write a ticket.  Of course, why bother walking across the street when you can stick a PBA card or two in your dash and block the bike lane?  And if that doesn’t work, why not try a reflective vest?

The Honda most likely belongs to an officer with the NYPD’s Transit Bureau, which has a district office right around the corner.  If you ride this route and notice this car parked in your path, feel free to call the Deputy Inspector John DeRose of Transit District 30 at 718-797-1720.