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.
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Photo courtesy Katie Tegtmeyer
