BLOOMMBITO'S PARKING PERMITS

The city has given out no fewer than 142,000 free parking permits to public employees and others. That’s twice as many as City Hall had estimated were in circulation. And after two months of research, city officials cannot say who has them all. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced in January that he would crack down on the perk and would cut by 20 percent the number of permits on the streets by March 1. The mayor was under pressure to do something about the permits, in part because he had been pushing for a congestion pricing plan that would charge most drivers who bring their cars into Midtown Manhattan.

But Bloomberg administration officials now say that given the discovery that so many permits have been distributed, it will take more time to cut back on them. No Parking Spot? Here Are About 142,000 ReasonsThe inventory found that more than 500 placards belonged to the mayor’s office alone, but Mr. Skyler would not reveal the names of those who had received them. In addition to members of the mayor’s staff, the group includes elected officials, city marshals and community board leaders, among others. Former Mayors Edward I. Koch, Rudolph W. Giuliani and David N. Dinkins also have placards, according to a spokesman for the Police Department.
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