New Yorkers could soon find a new job, thanks to the city’s squatters. A new bill proposed by the New York City Council would in fact allow citizens to report illegal parking they see in their neighbourhoods or throughout the city and get paid for it.

The bill, introduced by Councilman Lincoln Restler, would provide for a new $175 penalty for “dangerous obstruction of a bike lane by a vehicle” and for blocking bus lanes, crosswalks, pavements and fire hydrants within a quarter mile of a school building. Once the bill is passed, the Department of Transportation would create a programme that would allow citizens to submit complaints and evidence of these violations to the agency. If the complaint is then upheld, the complainant could receive 25 per cent of the fine collected.

Restler also stated that the bill is necessary because the New York Police Department itself, traditionally responsible for enforcing traffic rules, does not currently issue enough fines - although the number has increased since 2021, the figure remains nearly 50 per cent below pre-pandemic levels according to the mayor’s administration report.

The proposal is the latest attempt by a major US city to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, while encouraging residents to leave their cars at home and seek alternative forms of transport. Pedestrian and cyclist fatalities also declined slightly in New York’s fiscal year 2022, although the number remained steady at about 115 per year, with another 17 losses on electric bikes and scooters, three times as many as the previous year.

Similarly in 2019, Washington DC sought to pass a law that would train a group of residents in each of the city’s eight wards to perform certain traffic control activities. Austin, Texas, is also considering a law targeting those who park in bike lanes, with a 25 per cent reduction in fines for those who report infractions.

Opening image: Photo Hardik Pandya, via Unsplash