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City Council to Introduce Bill that Curtails Alternate Side Parking Regulations

Double Parked Cars Photo:infocusrealtynyc.
Double Parked Cars Photo:infocusrealtynyc.com
Double Parked Cars
Photo:infocusrealtynyc.com

The New York City Council today will hear testimony on a bill that, if passed, could make life a whole lot easier for New York City residents:

The legislation, sponsored by Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, a Democrat from Manhattan, would allow drivers to return to parking spaces once street sweepers pass, reported The New York Times.

Wait a minute! Will this mean relief from dropping whatever you're doing and having to leave the house  to move your car and avoid a ticket... but then being forced to double-park, because really, there are no extra spaces to move the car in New York City... but then having to spend more time again waiting in the car again while its double-parked to return it to the right side of the street before risking the chance of getting another ticket?

YESSSS! This new bill could change the entire alternate side of the street parking song and dance.

transportation201011alternate-side

"This is a problem that is affecting all of us across the city," said Rodriguez. "Parents, they have to be wasting their time inside the car when they would like to be back with their family, or back to their jobs, or sleeping if they work late at night, or doing exercise."

The bill not only would make life more normal for New York City residents, Rodriguez argued, as it would greatly curtail the wait time during parking regulation hours and reduce the duration of double-parking which, but also, with fewer cars idling or driving in search of spaces, it could in turn reduce accidents and help the environment.

The Sanitation Department  is expected to oppose the measure noting that if there is a potential hiccup in the process of being able to clean New York City streets, it becomes immediately noticeable, as far as an increase in trash.

Streets are often revisited after an initial cleaning if illegally parked cars prevented the sweepers from cleaning thoroughly the first time around, said a department spokesman. The practice that would be upended if other cars were allowed to return immediately after the sweepers passed.

So, what do you think? In a city as populated as New York, should we protect the old process to make sure streets are cleaned? Or should the process be amended to ease strict parking regulations?




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