City Says: Whatever, “Disabled” Drivers

The City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee is meeting right now to vote on a few new streets-related measures. On the docket: nixing the Mayor's cut-backs on street sweeping for 30 days, and "urging" the state to make it harder to get a disabled parking placard. The city has dispensed more than 50,000 of those valuable blue placards that allow residents to not only park closer, but also for free. The DMV blames a "liberal definition" of qualifying disabilities, but the city's been a little schizo on their disabled parking plan in the past. In 2007, they raised files for parking illegally in the blue zones to $350; in August, they bumped that down to $100. It'll still run you $500 for placard fraud. To help cut back on those misuses (and revenues?), the committee's "urge" will include a suggestion to require a photo of the disabled person in question be attached to said placard, which must be displayed at all times when the car is parked. So now when
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