Rampant Illegal Parking Plagues Downtown Brooklyn, New Study Finds

BROOKLYN, NY — A month-long study from a New York City councilman has found rampant illegal parking around a 60-block area in Downtown Brooklyn.

Councilman Lincoln Restler and his team, over a four-week period from May 26 to June 20, 2025, surveyed 60 blocks of Downtown Brooklyn to determine the frequency and extent of illegal parking.

They found that on an average weekday, there are 457 illegally parked vehicles in Downtown Brooklyn.

One hundred eighty-six of these vehicles, 41 percent, have official parking placards, but are still parked illegally on sidewalks or in no standing zones.

An additional 74, or 16 percent, have fake placards, including city agency gear or vests on the dashboard. 185 (41 percent) of illegally parked cars are without a real or fake placard.

Just three percent of observed illegally parked cars had been issued a ticket, according to the report.

According to Restler, the majority of offenders are government workers or contractors. He argued that the study highlights the city's failure to tackle placard abuse and hold drivers accountable for illegal parking.

“Illegal parking has taken over every block of Downtown Brooklyn. Our study confirmed what neighbors experience every day: hundreds of illegally parked cars blocking sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and loading zones,” Restler said. “Drivers who choose to illegally park create dangerous conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers. The majority of offenders are government workers and contractors, who should know better than anyone the importance of following the rules. There is negligible enforcement against illegal parking, and it’s time that we take action to abolish government placards and improve street designs to make Downtown Brooklyn safer for all.”

The blocks with the highest concentration of illegal parking were centered around government buildings, including:

• Outside the Kings County Courthouse on Adams Street (Brooklyn Bridge Blvd.)
• From Joralemon St. to Johnson St., there were an average of 63 illegally parked cars every day.
• The blocks around the 84th Precinct, FDNY Engine 207 station house
• NYPD Transit Special Victims Unit on Gold St. and Tillary also had a high concentration of illegally parked cars, with an average of 102 illegally parked cars every day on the five surrounding blocks.

Restler has recommended the city to pass Intro 411-2024, which would revoke 60,000 city-issue parking placards.

In addition, he called on the city to implement consistent, aggressive enforcement against all illegal parking, whether vehicles have a placard or not.

Also recommended were implementing street safety designs that prevent illegal parking on sidewalks and in bike lanes.

"Reducing illegal parking will help ensure that Downtown Brooklyn is safer and more accessible for all," Restler said.

You can read the full report here.