Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are the most hyperlocal form of D.C. government—each commissioner serves about 2,000 people without any pay except for one big perk: a free parking pass. Now, more than 20 commissioners have decided to reject their D.C. government parking passes, arguing that the benefit puts cars before public transportation and biking at a time when the District faces increasing traffic deaths.

Four commissioners are spearheading the effort: Ward 2’s Matthew Sampson, Ward 4’s Evan Yeats and Erin Palmer, and Ward 6’s Robb Dooling. “Over-reliance on cars raises serious environmental and safety concerns that we as elected officials cannot ignore,” the letter says in part. “Our city government needs to do more to encourage people to reduce their reliance on driving in favor of walking, biking, and public transit, and it needs to do so in a way that is accessible and equitable for residents in all D.C. neighborhoods.”

These “official parking permits,” allow commissioners to park a vehicle without paying meter fees. They also enable commissioners to ignore time limited curbside space or residential parking areas, and use official government-reserved spaces. Many D.C. councilmembers have infamously used their permits to park illegally throughout the District.

So far, commissioners in wards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 have signed their letter to D.C.’s elected officials, which they will send out on January 11. There are 296 districts in D.C. that elect commissioners to serve their neighborhood. So far, 23 commissioners are on board with the effort.

Commissioners from three wards, including both of the wards east of the river, have not signed the letter. That “very well could be linked to less robust access to other ways of getting around,” says Palmer, who represents ANC 4B02. “There’s an equity issue at play here.” A Washington Post analysis in 2017 demonstrated how lower-income neighborhoods in eastern D.C. had a more difficult time accessing other parts of the city via public transportation.

Palmer says the letter is entirely voluntary, and that they’re not calling to get rid of the perk altogether. She describes her decision to relinquish the permit as a “no-brainer,” in large part because she doesn’t have a driver’s license, though she also wants to draw attention to the environmental impact of cars and to Vision Zero, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s goal of eliminating pedestrian fatalities by 2024. “It gives it a little bit of oomph that we’re behind it personally,” says Palmer.

For Yeats, who represents ANC 4B01, the issue is also an ethical one. “I often hear from neighbors and friends that they need increased parking enforcement,” he says. “For me, to say I’m going to actively advocate for [the Department of Public Works to come to the neighborhood] but say I’m not subject to these rules is troubling.”

Yeats says that “people think of the ANC parking pass as a ‘freebie,’ but everything has a cost.” The involved commissioners say they’d rather see resources for ANCs redirected to technical and legal assistance, providing childcare and translation at meetings, and more.

Dooling, of ANC 6C06, says that commissioner orientation in December included “significant time on the parking pass.” He says that he’s heard commissioners get the D.C. government discount for Capital Bikeshare memberships, but that wasn’t mentioned at all during the orientation.

According to Dooling, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen have expressed their support for the initiative. Allen’s office confirmed that he is “supportive of the efforts by ANCs to highlight multi-modal ways to travel in the city.” Nadeau’s office declined to comment.

Yeats says the response to the letter has been “generally positive” and hopes that organizing between ANCs throughout the city will “lay the groundwork for more cross-commission work.”