Another Alternate Side Parking Holiday
A few months ago, a bill was introduced in the City Council to declare Diwali, the Hindu “festival of light” as a holiday in the NYC Alternate Side Parking Calendar. Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the bill,
arguing that the additional day of suspended parking would make it more difficult for the Sanitation Department to keep the streets clean. [ link ]
The City council of New York, overturned the veto and passed the Bill.
Thus the NYCDOT informs all car owners, that October 21st, 2006 will be the first day when one does not need to move your cars for street cleaning.
This whole issue is not only about parking and street cleaning. It addresses a larger issue of how NYC is a true melting pot of cultures, nationalities and customs. The Indian population has grown over the years all over the United States, and especially in the five boroughs, and this is in a way, a “coming-of-age” moment. You may tend to disagree and I would love to hear your take on this. Comments are open
Disclaimer: I am an Indian, and a car driver.
I don’t know the holiday’s significance, but we seem to have a million “opposite side parking suspension” holiday already, some of which seem fairly minor to me, so what’s one more on the books? Most of the other multi-day holidays get first and second day off so it is definitely a slight not to give at least 2 days to a 5-7 day festival, especially when no other Hindu holidays are acknowledged. But as someone who is always moving their boyfriend’s car and searching for a spot on fairly clean streets, I will always vote for more suspended days…