Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Drivers: Time to finally move your car. NYC's alternate side parking returns Thursday.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Stephen Nessen
Published Feb 18, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Stephen Nessen
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Stephen Nessen
Published Feb 18, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Drivers, start your engines — maybe for the first time in nearly a month.
The city’s alternate side parking rules go back into effect Thursday, Department of Transportation spokesperson Nick Benson said.
That means car owners will be required to move their cars out of the filth, dirt and grime — some might call it snow — to allow street sweepers to finally clean the road and vacuum up refuse. Alternate side parking has been suspended since Jan. 26, when New York City’s biggest snowstorm in at least a decade left more than a foot of snow piled on the streets, sidewalks, parks and plazas.
Drivers had to dig out of the snow following last month's storm.
Liam Quigley
A prolonged cold snap followed, leaving many cars trapped in an icy tomb of dog turds and trash.
The snow hardened and became even nastier as sub-freezing temperatures persisted, creating a revolting scene. Cars parked off the curb or diagonally due to piles of snow only added to the sense of disorder.
The street sweepers will have their work cut out for them. Even as warmer weather has begun melting the snowy mix of litter and animal waste, lumps and piles in many shapes and sizes still remain on the roads.
This barely qualifies as snow at this point.
Ramsey Khalifeh
Alternate side rules were suspended this week due to several holidays, including Presidents Day, Lunar New Year, Ash Wednesday and Losar, the Tibetan New Year.
According to the DOT, this most recent stretch isn’t the longest suspension of alternate side parking. In 1978, alternate side was suspended for three months due to winter storms – though it’s unclear if that is the longest in history.
Tagged
new york city
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .