Monday, October 25, 2010

What’s so special about Sundays?



Those of you already familiar with the parallelspaces.com Manhattan Street Parking Map (And why wouldn’t you be? You can get essential block-by-block parking information for free.) know that Sunday Rules have their own layer and symbol (see above illustration). Some members have asked why does no other day of the week receive this special treatment? Saturday for instance?
In case you thought I was going to launch into a religious argument, let me say right now that those of us who park on NYC’s streets treat all Alternate Side Rules Suspension Days equally. No matter what the religious observance or holiday, we always feel equal opportunity blessed.
The simple answer is Sunday rules are so much more relaxed (or nonexistant) that they warranted special notice. Many believe God rested on Sunday, but those of us driving and parking in this city are the ones getting that much needed rest now, and dedicating a layer to just Sunday rules makes it even a little more convenient.
The sad truth is back in the early 90s when I first explored this parking map, there was a Saturday symbol (see obsolete Saturday symbol illustration). Saturday rules were considerably more relaxed then, but in this present day NYC boomtown, Saturday rules are common and often just a continuation of the Monday – Friday rules. Saturday rules are just no longer different enough to justify the clutter its own unique symbol would add to the map.
If this all seems a little unfair, please click on the Contact the Mayor link to the right and ask Mayor Bloomberg to roll back the Saturday parking rules. Otherwise, just enjoy the fact that nowadays Sunday parking is easier to predict and even easier to find.

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