DSNY looks to new enforcement tools for cleaner NYC streets
City officials estimate nearly 500,000 drivers ignore street-cleaning rules each week, preventing sanitation crews from accessing more than 3,000 miles of curb space - and sometimes creating obstacles for emergency vehicles.
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Bright orange parking tickets are a familiar sight across New York City - each one signaling a $65 penalty for drivers who fail to move their vehicles during alternate-side parking hours. But for the Department of Sanitation, officials say the issue is less about tickets and more about access to the curb.
DSNY Supervisor Nick Fasano said the impact of parking violations goes beyond inconvenience.
“That's going to be one expensive bacon, egg and cheese. That's for sure,” Fasano said.
City officials estimate nearly 500,000 drivers ignore street-cleaning rules each week, preventing sanitation crews from accessing more than 3,000 miles of curb space - and sometimes creating obstacles for emergency vehicles.
“Not only, you know, is it a dangerous situation, but we need to make sure that we have enough room to get through. Otherwise, we have to back out of the block, and it becomes a big traffic mess,” Fasano said.
To address the issue, state lawmakers are advancing new enforcement tools. The state Senate recently passed S1891A, a bill that would allow the Department of Sanitation to enforce alternate-side parking rules using cameras mounted on street sweepers. The proposal now heads to the state Assembly, which will determine whether it becomes law - a decision that could reshape how street cleanliness is enforced across New York City.
“Our message to Albany has been clear for months: Let us clean,” said DSNY Commissioner Gregory Anderson. “We know millions of New Yorkers are grateful that the Senate has passed this bill, and we urge Assembly members to do the same as the legislative session winds down.”
Commissioner Anderson added that enforcement is ultimately about compliance, not punishment.
"Nearly 500,000 car owners disregard street cleaning regulations every week, keeping us from cleaning more than 3,000 miles of streets,” he said. “Our goal here is not to issue more summonses, but to send a message that if you decide that your convenience is more important than clean neighborhoods, then yes, you will receive a summons. And if Albany lets us send that message loudly and clearly to all neighborhoods, people will finally start to move their cars. We don’t want to issue summonses - we just want to clean the streets.”
A DSNY street sweeper can collect up to 1,500 pounds of trash in a single shift - but only when curb access is clear. Officials say improved compliance could even allow the agency to reduce the frequency or duration of alternate-side parking rules in the future.
The New York City Council also weighed in, passing home-rule legislation in May urging Albany to approve the bill allowing camera enforcement on street sweepers.
For now, sanitation officials say they are pushing for new tools to shift driver behavior and keep streets cleaner - block by block.
