Overview
In addition to people who used placards belonging to someone else, the ISAU found individuals using purchased, cancelled and expired placards. The ISAU also identified gaps in state law and the placard application that leave the RMV’s placard program vulnerable to fraud and abuse.
Placard abuse takes away accessible parking for disabled individuals who genuinely need it, deprives cities and towns of parking revenue, and can have a negative economic impact on area businesses. Fraudulent users occupying parking spaces take away short-term customer parking. When parking is difficult to find in an area, potential customers go elsewhere to shop. Additionally, urban planning studies show that the lack of available city parking has detrimental environmental effects, including increased traffic from drivers circling streets while searching for parking. One study found that drivers in Cambridge, Massachusetts spent an average of 11.5 minutes searching for parking, or a 30% share of their traffic cruising. According to the study, this results in greater congestion and increased pollution.63
In light of the findings discussed above, the Office has developed a number of recommendations, including eliminating the meter-fee exemption or imposing a time limit on parking for free at a meter; requiring placard holders to display their placards in a forward-facing and unobstructed manner; imposing a penalty for making a false statement when reporting a placard lost or stolen; and making it a crime to use a deceased person’s placard. The RMV should also revise its placard application, strengthen its process for reviewing and approving placard applications, and improve its electronic recordkeeping.
| Date published: | February 24, 2016 |
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