Double-parking on alternate side parking street cleaning days?
Hey Brownstoners —
What, if any, are the “rules” around double-parking on street cleaning days? Is it generally understood that it’s OK to do as long as you leave a note on your dash with your number?
And as far as getting tickets, does the city expect you to move your car back once the street cleaner has gone through your street, even if the time window for street cleaning is still open, or does the ticket-writing only commence once the window is closed?
For instance, if the time window for “No Parking” is 9:30 – 11am, and I double-park my car on the opposite side of the street, and the cleaner comes through at 10:30am…would I get a ticket then if I didn’t move the car over right away, or would the cop wait until 11am, then write the ticket, in peoples’ experiences?
(I realize, of course, that double-parking is illegal and you could get a ticket at any given time, but that doesn’t seem to be the case given how much it’s done on these days.)
Thanks!
Cocg
in Government 13 years and 10 months ago
12
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12 replies
BobMarvin | 8 years and 8 months ago
Contact the community affairs officer at your local precinct who MIGHT be able to get the tickets cancelled.
tk10k | 8 years and 8 months ago
Boreum Hill just got ticketed for double parking while cars parked in a no
parking zone were not.
Bklnite | 13 years and 10 months ago
In practice you don’t get ticketed for double parking during street cleaning on a one way street, but you won’t hear that officially from the parking violations bureau. On two way streets they will ticket. There is an official 5 minute grace period http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/parking/parking.shtml but the way I read it that would only apply from 9:30-9:35 in your case. If the street sweeper goes by at 10:30 I would back to the just- cleaned side, but hang out in the car for 15 minutes and at 10:45 I’d take the chance that they won’t ticket in the last 15 minutes
STARGAZER | 13 years and 10 months ago
Well it is overlooked because logically where the hell would a whole line of cars go???
but in my hood we move them back to the other side about 15 minutes before the alternate ends.
also, while your car is doubled you must be aware if someone needs to go out. On my other job I left the address of where i was in case need be, it worked.
while alternate is apita, we need it because humans are generally pigs and throw littler in the street thinking the garbage fairy is going to swoop down and remove it.
BobMarvin | 13 years and 10 months ago
Oh, I forgot to mention that drivers who leave their cars double parked a minute or two AFTER the street cleaning period ends are VERY likely to be ticketed. Also, my neighbors on Lincoln Road and Maple Street, where bike lanes were added a few years ago, quickly learned that that they’d be ticketed if they didn’t double park outside of the bike lanes.Fortunately, our streets are somewhat wider than in many other brownstone neighborhoods.
BobMarvin | 13 years and 10 months ago
No hard and fast rules since the practice is illegal, but tolerated by the local precinct in many neighborhoods. IMO it’s a practical solution an vastly preferable over having drivers circle the block for 1-1/2 hours. In my neighborhood most people don’ tmove their cars until the end of the street cleaning period, but it might be different in other neighborhoods/precincts.
As to the practice of leaving a note on your dashboard; although that seems amatter of common courtesy, it’s a matter of neighborhood custom. In my neighborhood (Lefferts Manor) I’ve seen drivers yelledat for not leaving a note. In other neighborhoods (Park Slope?) I think it’s those who have the nerve to park on the “right” side, when they know they’ll need to move their cars, are considered the wrong doers–go figure.
FWIW I think that people who oppose this commonsense practice are self righteous a**holes.
Arkady | 13 years and 10 months ago
You have to wait until the posted time before you move your car. There are conventions to be observed: first, don’t double park until you’re sure you’re opposite an empty space; second, if you’re on a street that’s narrow because of a bike lane, don’t park opposite a tree that tilts into the street – large trucks can’t get by; 3rd, you can’t have even part of a tire encroaching on the painted lines of a bike lane; 4th, it’s helpful to leave your phone number on the dash.
Strictly speaking double parking is not allowed but is tolerated so long as you’re not on a block w/ a school nor a busy commercial street such as 7th Av. in the Slope. It is the case that if someone who is parked in phones the police, the cops will ticket every car that’s double parked because they’re not allowed to just ticket the offender. So it’s a good idea to be familiar w/ the cars on your block so you can alert an owner who is blocking someone who is ignorant of the alternate side ballet.
BTW – It’s a cheaper ticket to not move your car for alt side than to forget to put it back in time. There’s a 5-minute window either side of the posted times.
needmtg | 13 years and 10 months ago
You’re license should be revoked, randolph, if you can’t see a gigantic parked object in the middle of the road. What if it were a line of cars waiting for a garbage truck to move? Would you still ‘almost smash’ into them?
Agree with dibs, it’s an old-fashioned accommodation to a real world problem. And harmless.
anonymous | 13 years and 10 months ago
I love how people who drive cars will complain every time a person on a 50 lb bicycle doesn’t follow traffic rules to a tee, yet they’re allowed to bend the rules whenever possible so they can store their multi-ton hunks of personal property on public space.
daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 10 months ago
I think it’s a quaint and practical solution. But I use car service so could care less. it doesn’t seem to happen near me as parking isn’t that hard to find anyway even on alt side days.
BenGazi | 13 years and 10 months ago
drive slower
randolph | 13 years and 10 months ago
I fing the practice despicable and dangerous and it should be enforced according to the law because IT IS ILLEGAL!!! the worst is on Washington Park between myrtle and dekalb- if you don’t know its alt. side day you come around that turn and almost smash into a line of parked cars in the MIDDLE OF THE DUCKING ROAD!!!
it is also laughable that these illegally double parked cars actually stay out of the bike lane?! how considerate! NOT!!!