New York City Council hears bill to ease alternate side of the street parking

NEW YORK -- The New York City Council is considering a bill that would ease New York City's alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules.

The question is, when that street sweeper runs by, should drivers be able to move back to their parking space, even if the parking signs say sweeping continues a half-hour longer?

Of course, drivers say.

"Lift it," driver Michael Martin said. "Let the drivers pull back over here and park. That's the only sane thing to do. Why not?"

The city council is pushing to do exactly that -- let drivers move back -- once the sweeper passes.

But on Monday, the city's sanitation department said no, because their sweepers might need to make another pass.

"We reserve the right to go just in case the street doesn't get cleaned properly," the department Paul Visconti said. "We deserve the right to come back again."

Most streets require drivers to move their car twice a week for 90 minutes. Proponents of the new law say it would save time and cut down on pollution, because drivers wouldn't have to sit in the car and idle for so long. Also, there wouldn't be nearly as many tickets.

So far this year, the city has given out more than 500,000 tickets. In 2013, more than 1 million were issued for violating alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules.

"If you park after the street sweeper already left the street, and you thought you were OK because the street is now clean, and you get a ticket," City Councilman Jeff Greenfield said. "That doesn't seem fair to people."