City Council Eases Alternate Side Parking Rules

The City Council has voted to give New Yorkers a tiny break from alternate side parking rules.

It passed a bill that would give each community board the chance to opt out of alternate side parking one day a week — but only if that neighborhood had at least a 90 percent rating on street cleanliness in the mayor's management report two years in a row.

"We in the Council have heard time and time again that people don't even want to bother with owning a car in New York City because of the excessive rules -- excessive and confusing rules -- that come with parking," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who said it's time to make it easier to have a car in the city.

City Council member Brad Lander echoed her sentiments.

"Author Calvin Trillin once joked that 'You can park your car on the streets of New York, or you can have a full-time job -- but you can't possibly do both,'" Lander said. "Unfortunately, for too many New Yorkers, this is all too close to reality. This new legislation would help solve this problem while still keeping our streets clean."

The Council also voted to require pedicabs to follow city parking rules. There will now be no-standing zones, no-stopping zones and no-parking zones. Before, pedicabs were just seen as bicycles so they did not have to abide by vehicle rules.

The mayor's office says Bloomberg intends to sign these bills.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated the bill would give each community board the chance to opt out of alternate side parking one day a year. That is incorrect. The bill would allow each community board to opt out of alternate side parking one day a week for each side of the street. WNYC regrets the error.