With the Democratic runoffs over, the fight for the only contest that really matters anymore -- the mayoral race -- can begin in earnest, and Mike Bloomberg has come out swinging.
Targeting a truly populist issue, the mayor unveiled -- via a Daily News Op-Ed -- a plan today that would create smart parking meters that could tell drivers when a space was open, take payments from cell phones, and send alerts when time was about to expire.
He also said he was considering eliminating the $2 fee to pay parking tickets by credit card, and an amnesty program for old tickets.
"I've always believed that one of government's core responsibilities is finding innovative new ways to cut bureaucratic red tape and make it easier for people to get answers and results -- quickly," Bloomberg wrote in the Op-Ed.
But wait, voters, there's more. The DOT will also look into reducing alternate-side-parking hours in some neighborhoods, and Bloomberg even stands up for drivers in the fight versus meter-maids.
"While most of our traffic enforcement agents are courteous and professional, we are always working to improve customer service," he wrote.
A spokesperson for Bill Thompson, the Democratic challenger in the mayor's race, called the Bloomberg move a "stunt."
