[title]
After weeks of snowbanks, diagonal parking jobs and streets that looked more gray than white, alternate side parking is officially back in New York City.
Starting today, drivers will once again need to shuffle their cars to make way for street sweepers—many for the first time since late January’s massive snowstorm turned curbside parking into a frozen obstacle course.
The Department of Transportation confirmed that alternate-side parking rules are back in effect, following a nearly month-long pause that began after the January 26 storm dumped more than a foot of snow across the city. Subfreezing temperatures kept the mess locked in place, trapping some vehicles under icy layers of slush, litter and whatever else winter left behind. For weeks, many blocks felt less like orderly streets and more like a free-for-all, with cars pushed off the curb or angled around towering snow piles.
Street sweepers now face the unenviable task of tackling what remains: melting chunks of dirty snow, scattered trash and the stubborn buildup that accumulated during the suspension. Warmer temperatures have started to soften the frozen mix, but plenty of gritty leftovers are still clinging to curbsides across the five boroughs.
The city also extended the suspension earlier this week to accommodate a run of holidays, including Presidents’ Day, Lunar New Year, Ash Wednesday and Losar, the Tibetan New Year. Now that those are over, the parking shuffle resumes and tickets are back on the table. Drivers who ignore posted signs could face fines of up to $65.
For anyone who forgot how it works (it’s been a while), alternate side parking requires moving your car during the posted full-time window on the sign—even if the street sweeper has already passed. And no, double-parking while you wait isn’t legal, no matter how long the block has looked like a snow graveyard.
Officials say some drivers may not realize the rules are back after weeks of inactivity, especially if their cars haven’t moved since the storm. The Department of Sanitation has even deployed water-spraying trucks in recent days to help melt ice-covered streets and clear access for sweeping operations.
If you’re unsure whether your block is affected, check posted signage before heading out the door. A City Council hearing next week will review how snow removal played out this winter, but for now the message is simple: dig out the shovel, start the engine and prepare to circle the block again—because alternate side parking is officially back.