With a record October snowfall behind us, officials say many drivers were caught off guard, making it difficult for snowplows to clear streets.
“There were a lot of areas where the plow trucks had to go around vehicles,” said Centennial Lakes Police Chief Jim Mork. “The downside is when that occurs you get that big ridge of snow that is now going out in the middle of the street.”
As more snow falls through the winter, Mork says streets tend to narrow, making it difficult to pass through.
Overnight parking restrictions start November first in many cities. But drivers are also asked to remember that street parking is not allowed anytime there is two inches or more of snow until its plowed curb to curb.
“That’s in place year ’round because we do know that snows happen outside the November first to April time frame,” said Blaine Public Works Director Jon Haukaas. “We saw that this year where we had a snowfall earlier this month. We see late April early May snowfalls also.”
At the Blaine Public Works garage, 16 plows stand ready for the next snowfall. Haukaas says they were able to clear streets from the mid-October snow pretty well, but in some places, it required a second trip for extra clean up because of parked cars.
“It’s a bigger issue in the middle of winter when those areas that weren’t cleared then turn to ice and that ice may stay there for months or through the rest of the winter,” Haukaas says.
If you live in a city served by Centennial Lakes Police, you may get an orange warning notice the first time you violated winter parking rules. Chief Mork says they want to remind drivers before ticketing them.
“Our main objective is we want to work with the community to educate first and obviously if we aren’t gaining compliance through education, then if we see the continued repeat offenders, people that are disregarding the notice obviously using their car and moving and still parking it overnight, they would get a citation at some point,” Mork said.
Towing is a last resort, but also a possibility. The overnight parking rules differ slightly from city to city. Check your city’s website for the rules in your area.
