I often joke that Alternate Side Parking suspensions promote a heartfelt appreciation for the city’s diverse religions, but as we approach the Muslim Holiday of Idul-Adha and enjoy the miracle of 3 days (Tue-Thur, 11/16 – 11/18) of not having to move our cars back and forth, how many of us actually know what this holiday commemorates? Maybe this is the silver lining of Alternate Side Parking Rules. In a time when religion is so divisive, Alt Side Rules can be the inspiration of not just appreciation, but of a sincere belief in the importance of other religions or at least religious observance that rises to the threshold of street sweeping suspension.
If you are skeptical, have you ever wondered, asked out loud, Googled what Idul-Fitr or Diwali (last Fri), or any holiday that spared you from going out into the rainy night (when no one seems to vacate their parking spaces), celebrates? Would you have bothered to find out what these three holy days mean otherwise?
Turns out Idul-Adha is the commemoration of the Old Testament story of Abraham. Abraham, because of his unconditional faith, sacrifices his own son at God’s request, but at the last minute is allowed to sacrifice a ram in his son’s place. And if this display of God’s mercy (except for the ram) doesn’t stop traffic for you, this story is actually shared by three of the world’s most contrary religions. The Jews, Christians and Muslims all celebrate the tale of Abraham. Does the fact that this week is the Muslim observance of the Abraham story make us drivers feel any less blessed?
Could it be that Alt Side is changing the way we see each other the only way life really can, with practical everyday experience, one suspended Alt Side Day at a time?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
City Council Considers Dramatic Changes in Alternate Side Parking Rules
This Tuesday (11/9) the City Council has three items on their agenda that could alter life with Alternate Side of the Street Parking as we know it. And if any of these proposed changes appeal to or concern you, you should write the city council, call your local representatives, spread the word, or somehow make your support (objections?) heard. If interested, the Find Your Council Member Page gives contact information for the Council Member of your district, and there is always the Contact the Mayor link on the right of this Blog.
(1) Int 0113-2010 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to limiting the days that alternate side of the street parking is in effect in residentially zoned districts.
(2) Int 0287-2010 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York in relation to reducing department of sanitation street cleaning days.
(3) Int 0375-2010 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to allowing vehicles to park on the restricted side of a street which is subject to alternate side parking rules without being ticketed if the owner is in the vehicle and able to move it or if the street has already been cleaned.
Those of you who have heard my whines and complaints about Alternate Side Parking insanity may be surprised to know that I don’t favor the first two items above. Of course, (1) Limiting Alt Side in residential neighborhoods and/or (2) Limiting Alt Side everywhere sound like manna from Heaven, but lest we forget, Street Cleaning keeps our streets clean and, let’s face it, litter on our streets is the last major unsolved Quality of Life crime there is in this city. It’s the one social crime left that keeps New York from looking practically perfect. While many of us have successfully focussed past the amount of debris on our sidewalks and streets as we rush to wherever it is we have to be, anyone with small children or a dog experiences up close and personal our blossoming, low-lying, street waste.
And, keep in mind, rainwater flows from rooftops, sidewalks and streets to storm drains, and to our creeks, canals, and rivers. Street sweeping captures litter, sediment, and fallen leaves before they enter the storm drains protecting our waterways from these pollutants.
I also have little faith that, even if a reduction is put into effect, it would last for very long. As a great scientist somewhere told us, the DOT abhors a vacuum. Once Alt Side is discontinued on certain days, is it reasonable to think parking regulations in residential neighborhoods on these days will just stay vanished or will something else, something revenue producing, take its place. Muni Meters are a pretty easy install and the sign posts are already there.
Lastly, and I have mentioned this before in the Post "Parking Trends or Why We Need Alternate Side Parking," I believe, and I have very little evidence to prove it, that if Alt Side Rules are lessened, parking will become more difficult. Reasons for moving will be fewer and the open spaces it created will be harder to find. People will squat. Local residents may even organize the giving and taking of spaces that can be held for days at a time. An easing of Alternate Side Rules may even encourage more people to own cars.
The third (Int 0375-2010) seems like a no brainer, but, in this city, will still probably need your full support to get passed. As long as a driver is in the car and ready to move, of course, he or she should not be ticketed! The sign says No Parking NOT No Standing or No Stopping. The purpose of these laws is to enable street sweeping. Let’s revert to that more civilized way of life. It will be difficult to dispute a ticket based on the “already swept” defense, so get your cameras and cell phones ready. Still, just having this rule in the law will promote the writing of tickets for the purpose intended and should help make more reasonable ticket writing the norm. It may happen that a string of automobiles will trail and scatter behind a street sweeper like it is the Pied Piper or Johnny Appleseed of street parking but, of course, it may be.
(1) Int 0113-2010 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to limiting the days that alternate side of the street parking is in effect in residentially zoned districts.
(2) Int 0287-2010 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York in relation to reducing department of sanitation street cleaning days.
(3) Int 0375-2010 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to allowing vehicles to park on the restricted side of a street which is subject to alternate side parking rules without being ticketed if the owner is in the vehicle and able to move it or if the street has already been cleaned.
Those of you who have heard my whines and complaints about Alternate Side Parking insanity may be surprised to know that I don’t favor the first two items above. Of course, (1) Limiting Alt Side in residential neighborhoods and/or (2) Limiting Alt Side everywhere sound like manna from Heaven, but lest we forget, Street Cleaning keeps our streets clean and, let’s face it, litter on our streets is the last major unsolved Quality of Life crime there is in this city. It’s the one social crime left that keeps New York from looking practically perfect. While many of us have successfully focussed past the amount of debris on our sidewalks and streets as we rush to wherever it is we have to be, anyone with small children or a dog experiences up close and personal our blossoming, low-lying, street waste.
And, keep in mind, rainwater flows from rooftops, sidewalks and streets to storm drains, and to our creeks, canals, and rivers. Street sweeping captures litter, sediment, and fallen leaves before they enter the storm drains protecting our waterways from these pollutants.
I also have little faith that, even if a reduction is put into effect, it would last for very long. As a great scientist somewhere told us, the DOT abhors a vacuum. Once Alt Side is discontinued on certain days, is it reasonable to think parking regulations in residential neighborhoods on these days will just stay vanished or will something else, something revenue producing, take its place. Muni Meters are a pretty easy install and the sign posts are already there.
Lastly, and I have mentioned this before in the Post "Parking Trends or Why We Need Alternate Side Parking," I believe, and I have very little evidence to prove it, that if Alt Side Rules are lessened, parking will become more difficult. Reasons for moving will be fewer and the open spaces it created will be harder to find. People will squat. Local residents may even organize the giving and taking of spaces that can be held for days at a time. An easing of Alternate Side Rules may even encourage more people to own cars.
The third (Int 0375-2010) seems like a no brainer, but, in this city, will still probably need your full support to get passed. As long as a driver is in the car and ready to move, of course, he or she should not be ticketed! The sign says No Parking NOT No Standing or No Stopping. The purpose of these laws is to enable street sweeping. Let’s revert to that more civilized way of life. It will be difficult to dispute a ticket based on the “already swept” defense, so get your cameras and cell phones ready. Still, just having this rule in the law will promote the writing of tickets for the purpose intended and should help make more reasonable ticket writing the norm. It may happen that a string of automobiles will trail and scatter behind a street sweeper like it is the Pied Piper or Johnny Appleseed of street parking but, of course, it may be.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Seeing double or just Two Alternate Side Oases the next two weeks?
You're not celebrating too much. It's not a mirage! Park the Car for Thursday like I did today (10/30) and you don’t have to move it again until next Tuesday! You know the “next” that means the second Tuesday from today. That’s 11/9. We are talking nine (9) hallowed, democratic, light-filled, Alt Side-free days you don’t have to move your car. You can move it! You just choose not to.
Then, after moving it for Tuesday, 11/9, thanks to Veterans Day and the typical OFF days (the Wed/Sat and, of course, Sun OFF days for most of us), you are good for another five (5) days!
I’m not even going to mention the three (3) Suspended Days the week after!
For a complete calendar of Alternate Side Suspensions go to our web site.
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.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Lincoln or the George Washington?
Ever wonder when starting out on that much needed vacation which tunnel to take? The George Washington is farther away, but it’s almost rush hour and the bridge might be faster. Wouldn’t it be nice to know before you get in the car what traffic is like to the stadium? If you have access to the web, you have access to the NYC Dept of Transportation’s Real Time Traffic Cameras (see screenshot above) and you can see current traffic flows all over the city for yourself.
In the above screenshot, I have selected the Lincoln Tunnel camera which opened the Lincoln Tunnel window (with the camera view) on the right. Note: when you rollover a camera icon with your cursor, a panel pops up to identify the camera’s location.
As mentioned before in these pages, this DOT site offers a lot of easily accessible and useful information from parking sign locations to bike rack maps and every New Yorker, and especially every inner city driver, should pay a visit at least once.
Monday, October 11, 2010
twitter of Alternate Side Rules in NYC Is Up
OK, I listen to various radio stations in the morning and several of them make hourly announcements of whether Alternate Side Rules are in effect or not. parallelspaces.com offers an Alternate Side Rules Suspension Calendar, but maybe that kind of info would also be nice to have in the palm of your hand. So parallelspaces.com has launched a twitter account to offer that same service to be available on your mobile phone. Check it out @AltSideParkNYC and, if it can be useful, become a follower.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Pay less for your parking tickets already!
A look at my blog stats recently made me realize that surprisingly few of you have clicked on the Apply for Online Reduction of Parking Fine Page (under Some Useful Links) that explains the city's reduction of parking fines program.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, you've probably been overpaying your parking tickets by almost half. That means for the savings on one (1) ticket alone, you could be a high ranking member of the parallelspaces.com parking map web site and have all those Manhattan parking rules up on your computer screen or on your touch screen mobile whenever you feel like it for a year and still have plenty left over to wash that clunker of yours!
Still thinking about it?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, you've probably been overpaying your parking tickets by almost half. That means for the savings on one (1) ticket alone, you could be a high ranking member of the parallelspaces.com parking map web site and have all those Manhattan parking rules up on your computer screen or on your touch screen mobile whenever you feel like it for a year and still have plenty left over to wash that clunker of yours!
Still thinking about it?
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