NYC Alternate Side of the Street Parking Travails

So living is hard. Moving is hard. Reliance on another person is hard; especially when that person doesn't do what they are supposed to.

This was the story for me this morning; I was totally upended by alternate side of the street parking. I have written about the perils of alternate side of the street parking; ignore any NYPD rules at your peril.

Especially if you have foreign plates. I live in Northern Manhattan where the parking rules are a little more lax and the availability is a little bit better; even with that you still have to follow the rules. If you forget to move your car with the alternate side of the street parking situation, you can be made a fool of.

I have had a car several times in New York City. I have even been honoring the "alternate side" regulations for several weeks. However this morning I was not paying attention and the beginning of the ninety minute alternate side of the street parking regulations began.

Alternate side of the street parking is also what is known as "street cleaning regulations." The rules use the days and times in question to demand that commuters and residents move their cars across the street. This enables the street sweepers to do one or two bypasses of the sidewalks so that street cleaning can be promoted. Alternate side of the street parking is also used by some of the more sly commuters to slide in for a parking spot that they otherwise hadn't had.

As it happened for me this morning, I was diligently working on some assignments when I realized that my 9-10:30 alternate side of the street rules had suddenly become 9:15! Oh shoot! I quickly dressed and ran out to the car. Where was the car again? I was feeling a little foggy. I scoured our whole neighborhood and the car was nowhere to be found. But what I soon realized to be true was what was true; I had been towed in the first few minutes of the alternate side of the street; street cleaning rules for the day in question.

One way to avoid situations like this is to make sure that you are parked opposite the alternate side" rules. Of course the night before we had come in early and I had gotten plenty of sleep. I had essentially lost my edge. If you are going to fall asleep at the wheel there is quite literally a two truck which will take you off to a very expensive private showing.

Alternate side of the street parking can wind up costing you quite a bit. In addition to the $45 ticket for not honoring the alternate side of the street cleaning rules, I got zapped with $185 for the tow truck! That is too much for an unemployed guy to handle.. Make sure if you're in New York City and you must have a car that you honor the alternate side of the street parking rules!