It's tough to get a parking spot in Jackson Heights, Queens - unless you are City Councilwoman Helen Sears.

Sears (D-Queens) has a reserved parking spot directly in front of her district office. There's even a Department of Transportation sign warning drivers the spot is for "Council Vehicles" only during peak hours.

While all Council members receive parking placards from the DOT that allow them to park in many restricted areas and even avoid paying the meter, four have their own private parking spots on city streets.

Sears, Councilmen Al Vann and David Yassky (both D-Brooklyn) and Councilwoman Helen Foster (D-Bronx) have spots outside their district offices reserved for their own use from 7a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

"The way to solve the problem of scarce parking isn't by doling out perks that just benefit the privileged few," said Wiley Norvell of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group that has issued numerous studies on parking in the city. "We need smart policies that benefit everyone.You don't solve the problem by giving three people free parking and exacerbating the problem for everybody else."

[more at: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/08/13/2008-08-13_grief_for_council_pols_over_car_perks.html]