Dear Mayor Bloomberg:While the state Legislature is still considering your congestion pricing plan, you need to consider a different plan. The one I have in mind only requires an executive decision by you. It does not even need state approval. The plan is simple: Stop issuing New York City parking permits to city, state and federal employees who use their private automobiles for commuting purposes only and not for official business.I spent more than 30 years working for the city's Human Resources Administration. There was a time during my tenure when I was responsible for distributing permits to HRA employees, so I know firsthand that many placards are issued for personal vehicles that are used to commute to work.Mr. Mayor, you have the power to establish a zero-tolerance policy for government workers who bring thousands of automobiles into our city every day, increase congestion and park all day for free on city streets. It is clear that most government employees use their placards not for work duties but for free parking. Given your stated goals of improving air quality, reducing traffic congestion and encouraging use of public transportation, this privilege, provided solely to government workers, can no longer be tolerated.Over the years, the media have unmasked parking placard abuses, which include illegal parking at hydrants, bus stops, meters, sidewalks and driveways, etc. The continued use and misuse of this perk, unavailable to the majority of working New Yorkers, constitutes an unfair double standard that should be eliminated.The Department of Transportation recently commissioned a study of parking and permit abuse in downtown Manhattan. No further studies are necessary. Any resident of Manhattan, especially lower Manhattan, can provide the information required to take action. Thousands of private vehicles with various city, state and federal government placards are parked all day, every day of the week. A 2006 study by Transportation Alternatives estimated that more than 150,000 employees from every level of government park on city streets with government-issued placards. Thousands more make unauthorized copies of placards and use them for parking. Further, Transportation Alternatives found that of the 177,000 government employees working in Manhattan south of 59th St., 26%, or 46,000, drive to work. Two-thirds of these work for the City of New York.A 2003 survey by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council states that "35% of government workers drive to work because they have free parking."On Aug. 11, 2006, I wrote you a letter on parking permit abuse, with recommendations to fix the problem. I received a standard, dismissive response from your DOT Authorized Parking and Permits Division. It stated that DOT "issues Agency Business Parking Permits ... specifically for business purposes and not for commutation purposes. Permit holders may park near work sites for up to three hours." This bureaucratic response denied the most obvious fact known to government employees and Manhattan residents - the overwhelming majority of parking placards are used for commutation purposes only and that such cars are parked all day. It also ignored the thousands of placards issued by state and federal agencies.So, I offer the following steps to help reach the desired goal:

• The Department of Transportation should be the only agency authorized to issue placards for private automobiles owned by employees at city, state and federal government agencies. Such placards are to be printed using the latest technology, making duplication very difficult. The result will be the elimination of the plethora of government placards in circulation and, for the first time, an accurate inventory and control over the number of placards issued.
• All requests to DOT for placards to be used by private automobiles are to be accompanied by a certification by the individual agency head that the vehicle is required to conduct official business in the field and will not be used solely to commute to work. It should further state that the particular agency does not have an official government vehicle available for use by that individual employee. Exceptions to this policy can be made for emergency personnel (e.g. police officers, firefighters) working night shifts or employees working in remote locations where public transportation is not available or very difficult to use. No other city, state or federal employee working normal daytime hours will be exempt.
• Given the enormity of this policy change, a phase-in plan is advisable. Because Manhattan is the main focus for easing traffic congestion, it should get first priority and be the first borough to implement the new policy. Decisions can subsequently be made regarding which boroughs can follow or whether the policy should be implemented in the rest of the city.
• The NYPD must strictly enforce the new policy if it is to succeed. Private automobiles lacking the official DOT parking placard must be ticketed and towed, without exception.
• Wherever possible, the DOT should restore previously restricted parking spaces to make them available to delivery trucks and to New York City residents.

Previous mayors have been reluctant to take meaningful action on this issue, fearing political repercussions from employee organizations. There is no question that such groups, as well as other affected government agencies, will oppose such a policy change. It is equally clear that the majority of New Yorkers will applaud such a plan. You are in a unique position to accomplish what no other mayor has been willing or able to do. I am confident that you can, with the help of new DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, have the vision and political will to take this decisive action for a cleaner and less congested city.Klainberg is retired assistant deputy administrator, Administrative Management Services