NYC restores alternate-side parking to clean streets and bike lanes
All images courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr
New York City officials announced plans to allocate millions of dollars to better clean city streets and bike lanes. Mayor Eric Adams and just-appointed Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Monday announced an $11 million investment for new street cleaning initiatives and better mobility for the sanitation department. Under the initiative, alternate-side parking will return in full force starting July 5. New Yorkers will have to move their cars twice per week, up from once a week during the pandemic, to clear the way for street sweepers and avoid getting a parking ticket.
This summer, DSNY will begin pilot sweeping programs for bike lanes using new “Micro-mobility Operations Machines” (MOMs), street sweepers designed for narrow corridors which they hope to have two final prototypes of by the end of the year.
“We’re no longer just going to talk about cleaning up our streets or taking steps to fight climate change, but we’re going to actually put real money behind these initiatives and lead by example here in New York City,” Adams said.
The investment is an Earth Week commitment on behalf of Adams to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
“To begin Earth Week, we’re committing $11 million to cleanliness and expanded mobility so that our city can come back stronger than ever. This announcement includes items that have been talked about for years, but we’re finally ‘Getting Stuff Done’ for our neighborhoods.”
Alternate-side parking has been partially suspended since the start of the pandemic, a measure put in place by former Mayor Bill de Blasio roughly two years ago. DSNY sweepers have been unable to clean the full width of streets, according to Tisch.
“Environmental justice begins at the street level, and clean streets are vital to vibrant neighborhoods and our city’s economic recovery,” Tisch said. “The nearly 10,000 DSNY employees — and I’m proud to count myself as one of them — are excited to be getting more of the tools we need to do our job of keeping the city healthy, safe, and clean.”
Tisch was appointed as DSNY’s new commissioner on April 18 by Adams. Tisch has decades of experience working for the city and began her public service career in 2008 when she joined the NYPD, according to the Staten Island Advance.
