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MTA board member parks illegally while decrying drivers who break the law
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Clayton Guse
Published Nov 29, 2022
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MTA/YouTube
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Clayton Guse
Published Nov 29, 2022
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An MTA board member railed against lawbreaking motorists during a meeting Tuesday as his luxury car was illegally parked right in front of the agency’s lower Manhattan headquarters.
David Mack, who represents Nassau County on the board, scored a primo spot for his silver Lexus with a temporary paper license plate just feet away from the building’s entrance near Bowling Green.
Mack, 81, said through a spokesperson that an MTA employee gave him permission to park in the spot because he has health issues and cannot walk from a nearby garage. MTA officials confirmed Mack parked illegally, and said no one at the agency has authority over street parking spaces, which are regulated by the city.
A Lexus illegally parked by MTA board member David Mack in front of the agency's lower Manhattan headquarters on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022.
Obtained by Gothamist
“Parking for MTA Board members who choose to drive to meetings is provided at a nearby garage and improper use of restricted street space is neither condoned nor approved," MTA spokesman Tim Minton said.
The parking job happened as Mack decried bad behavior by motorists during a meeting of the MTA’s bridges and tunnels committee. He called for the agency to hire more police officers to crack down on drivers who obscure their license plates to evade tolls.
“All you have to do is look on the street and look at someone’s back license plate and you’ll know,” he said. “We can’t rely on New York State police. They have their own duties. We can’t rely on New York City. We have to rely on ourselves.”
Mack left the spot Tuesday afternoon, and a delivery van later took the place of his Lexus. Unlike Mack’s car, the van was issued a parking ticket.
Unlike Mack, this van driver was ticketed for parking illegally outside MTA headquarters.
Stephen Nessen
It’s the latest chapter in a months-long controversy over Mack’s parking privileges. He previously had an MTA-issued parking placard, but it was revoked last June when transit officials changed a policy that allowed board members to use MTA Police placards to park in official spots.
In response, Mack burst in on a meeting held by MTA Chairman Janno Lieber, and gave him the middle finger, Newsday reported.
Tagged
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public safety
manhattan
transportation
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Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Clayton Guse
Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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