De Blasio Unveils Plan To Crack Down On Graffiti, Litter In NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio is unveiling a new program he believes will keep New York City's streets cleaner.
The program will step up anti-graffiti efforts, increase power-washing of sidewalks in busy commercial areas and bolster anti-litter efforts along the city's highways and onramps.
The plan, dubbed CleaNYC, will also increase the frequency of public wastebasket collections on city streets.
De Blasio announced the plan Wednesday at a Sanitation Department depot in Manhattan. He says the city's residents "deserve clean streets.''
"I've walked on some of those sticky sidewalks and I've seen some that just don't represent how good New York City should be," De Blasio said.
CBS2 reported extensively on the rise of graffiti incidents in all five boroughs throughout 2015, noting a significant rise in graffiti-related incidents and complaints in neighborhoods like Sheepshead Bay, Sunset Park and Forest Hills, Queens.
"We are never going back to the 'bad old days' in this city. Not on my watch. I guarantee that," De Blasio said.
The program will cost $4.2 million in expense funds in the upcoming fiscal year and $2.5 million in capital funds.
The plan will go into effect in all five of the city's boroughs.
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