Yoni Hikind: I Will Try to End the NYC Alternate Side Parking Nightmare

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Yoni Hikind, candidate for the NYC Council’s 44th District, isn’t just griping about traffic and dirty streets: He’s already doing something about it. Hikind just delivered a “Cleaner Streets” proposal to the NYC Departments of Sanitation and Transportation that a mayor’s office insider says shows real potential.

“The issues of traffic congestion, parking availability, street cleanliness and associated violations are all issues that New Yorkers share,” said Hikind. “What do these problems all have in common? Alternate-side parking. Alternate-Side Parking regulations were put into effect by the Department of Sanitation in the 1950s, allowing large street-sweeping vehicles to clean sidewalks from accumulative trash while requiring motorists to rotate parking positions. But a DOT survey, conducted while alternate-side parking was suspended, found that the regulations increase congestion. It also found that uncleaned streets appeared neither cleaner nor dirtier.

“Alternate-side parking may have been a great solution 60 years ago, but today’s street conditions require us to look at alternatives, so that’s what I’ve done. Growing up in Midwood and Boro Park, I’ve witnessed the stress created by forcing people to double-park and then move their cars. Traffic congestion is bad enough during rush hour. Alternate-side parking eliminates half of all available area parking. And I think most of us would agree that streets aren’t much cleaner when alternate side is in effect. Nevertheless, Kings County continues to see about 10,000 new cars each year, so things are only going to get worse.”

Hikind’s solution? State-of-the-art Efficient Street Vacuumers.“These are much better instruments for effectively cleaning our streets while simultaneously alleviating city drivers from alternate-side woes,” said Hikind. “Large capacity vacuumers don’t necessarily require moving cars to reach trash, and sweepers have proven to be imperfect cleaning tools (since they tend to scatter pieces of trash). Revamping the city’s street cleaning fleet can potentially eliminate traffic congestion, restore parking availability at peak hours, and reduce unfair penalties on citizens all the while leaving behind cleaner streets.”

While it’s true that in the past city officials have sought ways to eliminate ASP, it never went far because they never addressed the root cause: the actual cleaning machines and methods currently being employed. Hikind’s solution has already proven itself feasible in Toronto, Montreal, Baltimore, Atlantic City and Paris. Hikind is pitching a pilot project for his district.

“The solution I’m proposing is cost-effective and will ultimately save money for the City as well as our residents,” said Hikind. “Best of all, New Yorkers will love it. Cleaner streets, less traffic, less hassle… As City Councilman, these are some of my goals. And with G-d’s help and some hard work, we’ll get there.”

Yoni Hikind’s complete “Cleaner Streets” plan can be found at yonihikind.com/cleanerstreets.

{Matzav.com}


8 COMMENTS

  1. How naive. The ultimate reason for alternate-side parking today is revenue for the city. A few years ago, when the City considered making a the Chinese New Year an alternate-side exempt day, one the council-members complained that it would cost the city revenue from traffic tickets.

  2. Nightmare??? It may be difficult for some people to find a parking space and then have to find a new parking space. I can give you at least 4 reasons why alternate side days should not be stopped. 1) There are mechanics, car service, rent a car, who hog parking spaces, alt. side forces them to move their cars. I know Monday and Thursday nights, in my area, its easier to find parking. 2) I have an elderly neighbor who does all her errands Tuesday and Friday mornings. 3) If I have a doctors appointment out of Boro Park I try to schedule it at the end of the alt parking time so I can get a parking space. 4) People schedule deliveries, or moving trucks on alt side days so you don’t have to double park a truck and block traffic.

  3. “Street cleaning” is a total farce. Did you ever watch as one of those antiquated trucks go down a street? It just blows dust and leaves into the air. The brushes never even touch the pavement. In Marine Park they don’t have alternate sides and the streets always look clean.

  4. If Mr. Hikind really wanted to help parking and traffic in Brooklyn he should 1) get the yeshiva busses off the streets at night and over the weekend. 2) Every new hall should be required to set aside 200 parking spaces. In the area of 36 street to 39 street there is one wedding hall and no parking. Guests circle and circle, yet in the next few years at least 4 new halls are opening here. 3) There are many illegal driveways in Brooklyn. Some houses make the entire front of their house a no parking zone. Plant a tree in front of illegal driveways.

  5. Thank you ah yid for stealing my thunder.
    You’re right on the money especially as it relates to the school busses. They are a “DISASTER” all day and night. The drivers are on their phones while driving our children – true, much of tge time it’s to call the mother of the next pick-up, still they’re driving children. They stop at every second house for private pick-up service and at night they hog every possible spot.
    Your other points are also great.
    The city will never do away with alternate parking regulations because of the revenue the sumonses generate!
    Yoni, find an issue that you could deliver on. This one is not!

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