Been on the same block in Ocean Hill/Brownsville border for years and I still don't have a real system. Our ASP is 8:00–9:30 two days a week, and every single car on the block is occupied by 7:45. Nobody moves for the sweeper because if you give up the spot you're circling for 40 minutes. So we all just sit there, idling sometimes, and half the time the sweeper doesn't even come down the block. Am I missing something? Do you sit it out, double park and risk the ticket, or just eat a ticket once a week? What's the actual move for a no-turnover block?

OceanHill_O, you're not missing anything—that's the prisoner's dilemma of ASP on a one-sided street. I've had a car in Bed-Stuy, then Ridgewood, and now near the Queens/Brooklyn border. My system on a no-turnover block: get there 25 minutes early, park on the side that's being cleaned, and turn the car off. Do not idle; you'll get more attention and waste gas. Bring coffee, a podcast, and maybe a breakfast sandwich.

The sweeper usually comes once in the window, sometimes not at all. If it comes, you'll see the whole block do a little dance: everyone pulls out, lets it pass, then backs into the same spots. That's fine. The actual ticket risk is if you leave the car unattended before the sweeper passes. The enforcement agent usually writes tickets right at the start of the window if you're not there.

Double parking on the opposite side while waiting can work, but only if there's a driveway or hydrant gap, and you have to move the second a spot opens. On my old block, people would double park on the uncleaned side and just sit, but once the sweeper comes through and the cleaned side opens, it's a race. I've seen a few close calls with side mirrors.

My recommendation: if your block truly has zero turnover, don't move. Stay in the spot and let the sweeper go around you. You'll still get the street cleaned? Not really, but you won't get a ticket. The city could ticket you for obstructing the sweeper only in rare cases—don't make it obvious. Better is to find the next block over that has one-sided ASP and a few legal spots; it's often easier to move the car at 7:30, circle for 15, and walk three minutes home. But if that's not possible, sitting in the car with the windows down is the honest answer.

Okay this thread is exactly what I needed. I moved to Flatbush with a car in October and I've already gotten two street cleaning tickets because I thought I could just move it to the other side at 8:10 and it would be fine. Both times I got back to the car right as the sweep was going by and the ticket was already on the windshield. So do people really just sit in the car for the whole 90 minutes? What if you have to pee? Also how do you know if the sweeper already came? Is there a pattern or just luck?

firstwinter, yes—people really do sit in the car for the entire window on blocks where the spots are scarce. I'm in central Queens, and our block has ASP four days a week (two per side). I've had a car here for more than a decade.

What I've learned: The sweeper has a rough pattern, but it shifts. In my experience, it usually comes through in the first 45 minutes if it's going to come at all, but that's not guaranteed. If you get there at 7:50 for an 8:00 window and you're on the side being cleaned, stay until at least 9:00. Use the bathroom before you go. Keep a bottle of water, but not too much.

The bigger issue is that on a no-turnover block, there's no legal way to leave and come back. If you're on the other side, you may have to move at 8:30 because now that side is being cleaned. To know if the sweeper passed, look for the wet trail, or just ask another driver with the window down—most of us are friendly.

Some people use the 311 app or the city's ASP text reminders. Those only tell you if street cleaning is suspended, not when the sweeper hits your block. One thing I do on brutal days: If I see the sweeper turn onto the block while I'm parked on the cleaning side, I don't pull out and loop. I just sit and let them go around me. Yes, it means the street doesn't get fully cleaned under my car, but it beats losing a spot. However, if you're not in the car, that's a guaranteed ticket.

My one caveat: watch for traffic agents on foot. They can ticket you for 'not moving during street cleaning' or 'obstructing' if they want. It's rare but possible. The best real solution is to either sell the car or find a block with easier ASP and walk.

queens_college_q, that's real. I got popped once for 'failure to move at street cleaning' because the agent said I was sitting in the car but didn't move when the sweeper passed. I fought it and lost. Now I pull out and circle just long enough for the sweeper to get past, then I slip right back. People on the block know the dance. To firstwinter: the first few times you'll want to leave, but after the second ticket you'll sit there with your podcast like the rest of us. My go-to is a bacon-egg-and-cheese and a large coffee before I park; it makes the hour less miserable.

OceanHill_O, good point about circling—if you actually move, even just 20 feet out and back, you're less likely to get a ticket for obstruction. But that's only possible if there's a gap to duck into, which on a no-turnover block there usually isn't. What I've seen is the whole block does a coordinated shuffle: the first car pulls out, everyone follows, the sweeper goes by, then everyone backs into their exact same spots. If one person is missing, the whole thing breaks down.

firstwinter, to answer your 'how do you know if it came' question: look at the curb line after the sweeper passes. There's usually a slightly darker wet strip right where the brushes hit. Also, if there are leaves or broken glass and they're gone, it passed. And yes, ask the neighbor with the window down. Most of us would rather tell you than watch you get a ticket.

One caveat: don't assume the sweeper comes at the same time every week. I've had it pass at 8:12 one week and 9:24 the next. It depends on how many cars are parked illegally and how many times it has to stop. That's why I say stay until the window is done.

Follow-up question: if I sit in the car on the cleaning side and the sweeper turns down the block, is it better to put on hazards and stay, or should I pull away and then follow it? I tried the 'stay in the car' thing this morning for the first time. I got there at 7:55, and by 8:30 I was stress-eating an everything bagel. The sweeper didn't come until 9:10. My question is: what do you do when the sweeper is behind you but there's a car parked right in front and behind, so you can't back up or pull out? Do you just wait and hope the sweeper goes around? I was sweating.

firstwinter, if there's no room to pull out, you stay. The sweeper drivers are used to this. They'll go around you if they can. If they can't, they'll honk and then wait, but that's rare. Hazards on is fine, but it doesn't give you legal protection.

The thing you have to understand is that on a packed block, the city's goal is to ticket unattended cars. The sweeper driver gets paid to go down the street; they are not going to stop and call an enforcement agent just because one car is in the way. The agent on foot is the bigger risk, and they usually show up right after the sweeper. If you're in the car and they approach, you can say you were about to move. In practice, most agents will wave you on rather than write a ticket if you're there. But don't push it.

One legal option: if you're on the cleaning side and there's a fire hydrant space across the street or a nearby bus stop, you can sometimes wait there for the 10 minutes it takes the sweeper to pass, then take the spot back. But you have to be prepared to lose it.

Since you're new, try sitting on the non-cleaning side one morning to watch the block's rhythm before your next cleaning day. That's the best way to learn.

Real talk: the 'sit on the non-cleaning side and watch' tip from queens_college_q is how I learned my block. You see who leaves, who doesn't, and where the agent walks. Also, if you have a passenger or anyone else, send them to grab the coffee while you keep the spot. Solo is worse. And for firstwinter: no, the sweeper won't smash into you. They're professionals at squeezing past double-parked cars. You'll be fine.

Okay, I did the watch from the other side this morning. I saw the sweeper come at 8:40 and the whole block just sat there. The agent walked down behind it and didn't write anyone because everyone was in the car. That actually made me feel way less dumb. I'm still too scared to fully sit in the cleaning side now, but I'll try next week. Thanks everyone, especially LES_Len and queens_college_q. One more thing: does the sweeper ever come twice? My neighbor said sometimes it passes twice on the same side if it missed trash. Is that true?

firstwinter, yes, a second pass can happen, but it's uncommon. It usually only happens if the first pass was blocked by a pile of trash bags or a badly parked car. If you see the sweeper come by and then a parking agent walks behind it, you're probably clear to move back to the other side if that's what you need. But don't leave the block just because the sweeper came once—sometimes the same side gets another pass at the very end of the window. I've seen it happen on my block maybe once or twice a year.

Also, for anyone reading this in winter: if the city declares a snow emergency or there's active snow, ASP may be suspended, but the signs are still there and you can't just ignore them. Use the city's notify system or check 311. In the summer, the bigger problem is overheating—don't sit with the engine running for 90 minutes. Idling is bad for the air and can get you into a separate ticket if a traffic agent is bored. So coffee and a podcast, windows down, and learn your block's rhythm.

LES_Len's summer point is underrated. I used to idle with the AC on for most of July and August. The gas wasn't the issue; the wear on the engine and the attention it draws are. Now I park on the shaded side when I can, use a sunshade, and bring a bottle of water.

To firstwinter: don't overthink the second pass. On most blocks, one pass is all you'll get. The bigger issue is that on a no-turnover block, you're going to spend a lot of time sitting in your car. If that's not sustainable, think about a parking garage, a car share, or selling the car entirely. I did two years sitting on my block before I accepted that owning a car here is a part-time job. It's not you, it's the block. Good luck.