Council member Meg Tuthill notified constituents that the winter parking ban had been lifted.
We are happy to inform you that the Winter Parking Restrictions have been lifted as of 10:00am today! Conditions have improved enough to allow emergency vehicles to navigate the majority of our streets.
Below are some questions and answers regarding the lifting of the winter parking restrictions.
Q) There are still streets that are narrowed by snow. Don’t you still have a problem?
A) The Winter Parking Restrictions (WPR) were implemented because the majority of the more narrow streets in MPLS had become unusually restricted. The reason the WPR are being lifted is that the parking conditions on the majority of those streets have returned to a point where they resemble normal winter conditions, and public safety officials deem that there isn’t the extraordinary risk to public safety City-wide that existed when the ban was implemented.
The original odd/even Snow Emergency Plan, implemented in 1983, was designed to provide an easy way to communicate a one-side parking ban on the generally narrower streets. It is not perfectly consistent; there are some SE Routes that are narrow as well, and some non-SE Routes that are wider, but for the most part it works. And in some of the very high density neighborhoods, it can be a bit narrow even in the summer.
Q) If there is another big snow storm and/or Snow Emergency, will the ban be put back on?
A) No, not for the remainder of this season. It is close enough to spring that conditions would improve quickly. And by City Ordinance, any ban would automatically expire on April 1 anyway.
Q) Why didn’t I get an automatic phone call about lifting the ban?
A) All of the outreach methods and systems below are no, or very low cost, but there is a significant cost to a City-wide voice messaging campaign (alert). Since lifting the ban is not putting people at risk of a ticket or tow, it is felt that the expense is not warranted. It kind of the same reason that we don’t do a phone alert at the END of a Snow Emergency.
The public outreach consisted of media advisories, e-mail, Facebook and Twitter alerts, 348-SNOW, Web site and cable channel updates, all of which were released at 10am this morning.
Update:
Beginning March 5, normal parking rules again apply on city streets, and drivers
should continue to follow all posted signs. Signs restricting parking to one
side of the street were posted along stretches of Bryant Avenue (from Lake to
50th streets) and Grand Avenue (from Lake to 48th streets), and those
restrictions will remain in place until April 1 to allow transit access on those
streets.
The publics cooperation in following the restrictions greatly aided emergency
responders in their work to serve folks in Minneapolis. During the time the
parking restrictions were in place, Minneapolis Fire crews made more than 1,800
runs for emergency medical calls and firesand crews were able gain better access
on those runs because of the parking restrictions.
Although the Winter Parking Restrictions have been lifted, it is still possible
to have additional Snow Emergencies this year. Drivers should be mindful of the
normal Snow Emergency rules and procedures and check the Citys 348-SNOW hotline,
the Web, or the many other Snow Emergency notification tools if we receive more
snowfall.
