Tuesday's alternate side parking rules were suspended due to snow removal, which made me think of this question. Do many people even know why alternate side parking even takes place? If you've wondered about this question, think no more!
The primary reason is for street cleaning. In order to facilitate the street sweepers, each side of a street is usually designated with a date and time for when that cleaning takes place. So if you park on the streets, you need to move your car so the street can be swept. This is why when it snows, the rules are suspended. The plows are out there cleaning up the snow and it would be useless for the sweepers to come through.
If you use street parking in NYC like many do, including myself, then you may find these resources helpful.
- Primo Spot has mapped out many parts of NYC so you know where you can and cannot park.
- I've also mentioned Is Alternate Side Parking In Effect in a previous post titled Simple Single Purpose Online Services. This service saved me a quick trip this week by notifying me that alternate side parking is not in effect.
So whether you are a New Yorker or a visitor, now you know why NYC has alternate side parking rules. You can read a related post I wrote called Save Time - Alternate Side Parking 2009 for a schedule of days alternate side parking is suspended. You can also check out my post titled Life Lessons Learned From Digging Out A Car for a different perspective.
For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.
Photo courtesy Katie Tegtmeyer
4 comments:
I agree, it's so annoying. I live in the DC area and have the same issue and because of it have a hard time finding a parking spot. Otherwise I need to get up earlier just to move my car.
Hi Craig,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.
It definitely is annoying, but its a necessary evil. Considering the alternative would be cars that park in the same spot for weeks or months. It's one of those things we need to deal with living in a large City.
I do find the services above definitely helps. Not to mention just having a schedule and knowing how the rules work.
I live in NJ and i have never seen a street sweeper grace my street yet everyday fron 9:30-3:30 no one can park on one side of the street. I do not understand.
Hi Anonymous,
I totally agree. It's a waste and production of carbon for no reason. When I had the old car, it was definitely a huge hassle. I'm so glad I no longer have a car that needs to be moved around. If I buy a car, I'll definitely have to rent a space as well.
thanks for the comment and visiting!
Post a Comment