The massive snowverwhelming sure was fun while it lasted, but with the bulk of the snow mountains now whittled down to obstinate snow hills, the Man says it's time to move your car so plows can get to the curb—and so that ticket agents can write up those who still can't get it out. On Monday, after a two week hiatus, the alternate-side parking rules were in full effect, and traffic cops were out with a vengeance. 9,910 tickets were written citywide, almost double the average 5,460 alternate side violations issued on a typical day!
Some car owners were unaware that the grace period had ended, while others say they're still having a hard time digging their cars out of their ice-encrusted snow tombs. "You need a jackhammer to get this out!" one car owner told the Times.
The city spent an estimated $38 million just to deal with the Boxing day blizzard, so an attempt to make back some of that revenue may have played a role in Monday's ticket blitz. But even if none of the ticketed motorists contest the tickets, it's still just a drop in the bucket. City Room guesstimates that the alt-side parking busts could add up to $500,000 at best. But even when drivers did move their cars, many streets went completely unplowed anyway, according to the Post. A sanitation spokesman says New York's Strongest were "trying to clear as many streets as possible in the allotted 90-minute intervals."
