STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City is making a multi-million dollar investment to ramp up cleaning efforts on its streets and bike lanes.
On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced an $11 million commitment in the upcoming city budget to enhance street cleanliness for drivers and bicyclists. Tisch was recently appointed NYC Sanitation commissioner.
“We’re no longer just going to talk about cleaning up our streets or taking steps to fight climate change, but we’re going to actually put real money behind these initiatives and lead by example here in New York City,” said Adams.
“To begin Earth Week, we’re committing $11 million to cleanliness and expanded mobility so that our city can come back stronger than ever. This announcement includes items that have been talked about for years, but we’re finally ‘Getting Stuff Done’ for our neighborhoods,” the mayor added.
A portion of the $11 million investment will be used to fully restore alternate side parking, which has been partially suspended throughout much of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Alternate side parking will be fully restored on Tuesday, July 5.
The full restoration of the program will allow the city’s mechanical brooms to better clean narrower streets that are seeing increased vehicle and foot traffic as the pandemic wanes.
“The restoration of alternate side parking is a welcome relief to communities that have faced an unprecedented increase in litter during the pandemic,” said Councilwoman Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn), chair of the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management.
The remaining funds will be used to enhance the city’s bike lane cleaning efforts, including the purchase of new equipment and deployment of additional personnel to conduct year-round cleaning of the city’s protected bike lanes.
Starting this summer, DSNY will pilot the use of 10 Micromobility Operations Machines to clean bike lanes throughout the boroughs. Similar machines were used this past winter to plow snow from bike lanes and keep them clear for cyclists.
By the end of the year, DSNY plans to have “several dozen” of the machines in two different sizes to accommodate bike lanes and other narrow infrastructure of all sizes.
“This investment in smaller bike-lane sized street sweepers is a win for cyclists, and I commend the mayor and the Department of Sanitation for this commitment,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “These smaller sweepers will allow the city to harden our bike lanes, making them less susceptible to car intrusion while also ensuring that they are clean and clear of debris.”
