Councilman Proposes New Alternate Side Parking Rules

Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, said he is pushing a bill he co-sponsored that would allow drivers to park on the street immediately after being cleaned by city street sweepers.

Halloran, whose district covers Douglaston, Bayside and Little Neck, said Queens residents are frustrated that they must often wait for more than an hour after sweepers are finished cleaning to park on their streets.

"The inner borough, because of its political influence, often gets to dictate how the rest of us live," the councilman said. "In Manhattan, where most folks don't rely on their cars, they don't have a problem burdening car owners with excessive ticketing and laws restricting where you can park and when. But here in the outer boroughs, we drive. And our current strict alternate-side parking regulations are a needless nuisance."

The city's Department of Transportation could not be reached for comment.

The bill has been sponsored by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, D-Manhattan, and co-sponsored by Halloran. It is currently before the Council's transportation committee.

Under the legislation, drivers would be able to park on a street after a street sweeper was finished cleaning.

Halloran said communities in his district are primarily one- and two-family-home neighborhoods.

There are no subway lines that run to Douglaston, Little Neck and Bayside, so most residents rely on the Long Island Rail Road for public transportation.

But a large number of district residents rely on their vehicles to commute to work, the councilman said.

"There is a false perception that drivers in New York City are rich and well-to-do," Halloran said. "But in my community, most car owners are middle class people and alternate side laws affect them the most."