Cleaning Your Street Has Its Perks In NYC

Do you have a car in the city? Do you hate having to move it two or three times a week so that the street cleaners can come through? Well there is salvation for all of you automobile owners, and you can thank the Sanitation Department for that (and your respect for your street as well).

From WCBS-TV:

Under a new Sanitation Department plan, neighborhoods with really, really clean streets can receive a break from one of the greatest afflictions suffered by city car owners: the dreaded alternate side of the street parking regulations.

Last month, Brooklyn Community Board 6 -- the tree-lined residential brownstone areas of Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Park Slope—earned the parking perk by consistently scoring 90 percent or higher on the city's twice-monthly scorecard for street cleanliness.

No shifting from one side of the street to the other on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays, an unpleasant slice of urban living parodied in a classic "Seinfeld" episode.

While no other city neighborhoods yet qualify for the plan, Sanitation spokesman Vito Turso said Friday that Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn have expressed an interest and the city is considering it.

I think they should consider it for all neighborhoods in the city, not just a few in Brooklyn. The only catch is to have good street-hygiene. The plan is a win-win for New Yorkers and the city by reducing the costs of using those sweeping machines. Now the only question is, will your neighbors cooperate?