What are alternate side parking (ASP) rules?

New York City is a busy and crowded place. To keep the area looking good, the city has to clean the streets. Even if people are not littering, the roadways get dirty and debris can make its way into traffic lanes, causing safety issues.

However, because the city is so crowded, it can be impossible to do proper street cleaning while vehicles are in the way. To combat this, the city created alternate side parking (ASP) rules.

ASP defines

Alternate side parking restricts the ability to park on certain sides of the road to allow street cleaning equipment to tidy up the area. The city has multiple ways to alert people when ASP is in effect. It will vary depending on the cleaning schedule. Also, it is never in effect on legal holidays.

How it works

When ASP is in effect for a road, you cannot park on the restricted side of the street. If you do, you will face towing and fines. You cannot park there during the whole restricted time even if the street cleaning is complete.

Notices

The city has signs posted on streets under the ASP rules. These are a “P” in a crossed-out red circle with a broom. They will often also have a notice with the hours for the ASP rules. Do note that they may only put up one sign for the whole street. It is your responsibility to be aware and know where ASP is in effect.

You can get ASP updates online as well. The city has email notifications available, too, which can be handy if there is a situation where ASP rules go into effect due to an emergency, such as excessive snowfall or road construction.