LocalMeanNew York

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Alternate-side parking

AWL-ter-nit SIDE PAR-king

Subway & streetClassic New York English

Local meaning

New York’s posted street-cleaning parking rule requiring vehicles to move from one side of a street during specified days and times.

Alternate-side parking, often shortened to ASP, shapes weekly routines for many drivers. The posted sign controls the exact restriction, and city suspensions can temporarily change enforcement on holidays or during emergencies.

Example in context

  1. “I have to move the car before alternate-side parking starts.”

How it is used

Official New York City parking terminology with especially strong everyday relevance in dense residential neighborhoods.

Tone

neutral, practical, often frustrated

Setting

driving, street cleaning, neighborhood routines, parking notices

Regional scope

Official New York City parking terminology with especially strong everyday relevance in dense residential neighborhoods.

Watch for

Rules vary block by block and can change. Drivers should follow current posted signs and official suspension notices rather than a remembered schedule.

Spelling and scope

Official New York City parking terminology with especially strong everyday relevance in dense residential neighborhoods.

Search forms
alternate side parking NYC meaningASP parking New Yorkmove car street cleaning

LocalMean keeps common search spellings discoverable without claiming that every borough, community, or generation uses one written form.

Frequently asked questions

What does alternate-side parking mean?

It means parking is temporarily prohibited on a posted side of the street so cleaning or other operations can occur.

Can you double park during street cleaning?

Passenger vehicles may not legally double park, even when alternate-side rules are in effect.

Read next

All words →
verb; adjectiveDouble-park

To stop or leave a vehicle in the traffic lane beside a vehicle already parked at the curb, blocking part of the roadway.

nounGridlock

Severe traffic congestion in which vehicles block one another and movement becomes extremely slow or stops.

adjective; adverb; nounCrosstown

Across Manhattan or another part of the city from east to west, rather than mainly uptown or downtown.

Evidence and further reading

These sources support the regional association, dictionary sense, or broader spread. The entry remains open to correction from New York speakers and qualified reviewers.