The City of Ithaca Department of Public Works plans to begin spring street cleaning operations on Monday, March 29, with some South Hill streets early on the schedule. Residents who park on the street should watch for signs and check on their cars daily from March 29 through the end of April in order to avoid a costly ticket and towing. If you will be away during this time, you should consider making alternate parking arrangements for your vehicle.
Each street that will be cleaned is posted with “No Parking” signs at least 24 hours prior to the beginning of cleaning. Posting typically occurs between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., with several signs placed on the affected block. The signs have arrows on them to indicate that the “No Parking” zone is in effect for the entire side of the street on the effective date written on the sign.
Vehicles that remain on the street in violation of the signs will be ticketed and towed by a local towing company at the owner’s expense. The 911 Center can assist in locating vehicles that have been towed. Please note that the standard fee for towing in the City of Ithaca was recently increased to $200 plus sales tax, with additional fees for storage of $50 per day after 24 hours. “No Parking” signs are removed from the street immediately after the street is cleaned and parking can resume at that time.
The city utilizes the Swift911 alert system to provide announcements of when specific streets will be cleaned, and residents are urged to sign up for the system and subscribe to the “Street Cleaning” notification list. The full schedule of the street cleaning program can be found here. You can sign up for Swift911 on the city's website here.
Questions or concerns about the street cleaning program can be directed to the Streets and Facilities Office at (607) 272-1718.
For help managing your Swift911 subscriptions, please contact City of Ithaca Public Information Specialist Melody Faraday at mfaraday@cityofithaca.org or (607) 274- 6571.