CITY HALL- Government parking permit abuse is running rampant in nine hot spots citywide, causing safety hazards by blocking fire hydrants, crosswalks, bus stops and intersections, according to a study released yesterday by Transportation Alternatives.

When the pro-pedestrian, biking and mass transit advocacy group sent volunteers out in June to investigate streets near city, state and federal buildings, it found that 77 percent of permit holders parked there were using them illegally.

"The first and easiest and most comprehensive solution would be enforcement of the law," said Matthew Roth of Transportation Alternatives. "New York's Finest need to ticket and tow people who park illegally whether they have a permit or not; to do anything less would be to perpetuate a cycle of dangerous double standards."

Inherent problem

The NYPD was responsible for the largest chunk of illegal permit use, according to the study, flouting the law in 46 percent of these situations. Court officers were the culprits for the majority of fraudulent permits, with 54 percent of the total, followed by Corrections officers, court clerks and FDNY members.

Though the city recently announced a $400,000 Dept. of Transportation study to look at parking and permit abuse in downtown Manhattan, Roth didn't think this was enough.

"Unions [for city employees] are printing its own permits and a lot of the times, the holders don't even realize what they're doing is wrong," explained Roth.

Transportation Alternatives recommended the city take inventory of permits, establish strict guidelines for their use and educate government workers to eliminate the "culture of entitlement." Parking signage should be updated to reflect communities' needs, the study suggested.

'Loss of revenue'

Sandy Balboza, president of the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association, said she's been trying to get the city to address the problem for more than 12 years.

"It's a loss of revenue to the city because these workers aren't putting money in the meters or getting tickets," said Balboza, whose group found repeat offenders who leave their cars at metered spots all day long. "It also relates to the traffic problems we have in Downtown Brooklyn - if they had to pay for a garage maybe they wouldn't bring their cars in everyday."

Theo Dorian, president of the St. George Civic Association, has seen the abuse: families parking to go on the ferry but using their permits. "You often hear of St. George as the next big neighborhood, but one thing it has lacked is a thriving business center," Dorian said. "And that's because of the parking. People from our neighborhood don't even use the local pharmacy or doughnut shop." This is because officials from courthouses, borough hall and other city agencies illegally snatch up spots, according to Dorian, and when local businesses breached the subject in 1997 they were met with a boycott from city employees.

In response to the survey, Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the NYPD doesn't condone illegal parking. "An official placard holder must adhere to its restrictions," he said, "and is not exempted from parking tickets and other sanctions when he or she fails to do so."