NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A new bill in the City Council would pay people to rat out drivers who park illegally.
Council Member Stephen Levin, of Brooklyn, said the measure would give someone a cut of the fine if the illegal parker is found guilty.
If someone reports a driver parking illegally in bike lanes, bus lanes, crosswalks or sidewalks they’d get 25% of the fine, which the bill would raise from $115 to $175.
Police patrol cars and placard abusers could also be reported under the bill.
Levin said he hasn’t been able to get police to enforce the rules and he hopes a fine is enough of a disincentive so New Yorkers don’t have to turn on each other.
“I tried for years to get the police department to really do some real enforcement,” Levin told the New York Post. “At this point, it just seems like the most effective way to address it is to have the public enforce it themselves.”
Levin and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson introduced the legislation on Thursday.
New Yorkers can already get paid to report idling vehicles, according to StreetsBlog. The city has dished out $183,000 to the public for 1,600 reports so far this year.