FROM: Director Steve Calla, Chief Paul Flanagan, Chief Delehanty
DATE: March 16, 2015
RE: Lifting the Parking Ban
This memo is being sent as a follow-up to our on going discussions about lifting the parking ban. Collectively we feel that it may now be time to lift the parking ban with strict guidance and enforcement to ensure public safety is not jeopardized.
We would recommend allowing parking in areas that have been cleared by DPW, or by residents as long as vehicles are parked within 12 inches of the curb (not the ice line or snow bank, the actual curb) and any roadway where parking is normally allowed if the parked vehicle will leave a clear and unobstructed lane of at least ten (10) feet wide for passing traffic. On two way streets there must be enough room for two vehicles to pass without obstruction. Ordinance 10.16.010 – General prohibitions.
The obstruction of traffic violation is subject to a $100 parking ticket, and parking over 12 inches from the curb is subject to a $25 ticket. Depending on the situation, it is possible that a vehicle could be ticketed for both violations and be towed if the police deemed this necessary.
Regardless of the parking ban being lifted, vehicles will be tagged and towed if fire apparatus cannot pass through any street safely. For example, this could occur if a person has shoveled to the curb line but the snow bank on the other side of the road is still not shoveled to that curb line.
No person will be allowed to park on any sidewalk.
While people can park on the road under the above stated conditions, no person may park within 20 feet of an intersecting way by ordinance. In some cases more than 20 feet may be necessary to allow for fire apparatus to make swings onto and off from some, if not all, side streets.
When the parking ban is lifted, the officers conducting enforcement will need to use their best judgment. If the vehicles are parked where normally allowed, and the snow has been removed curb to curb, then we will need to use some discretion with the 10-foot lane requirement.
“The safest parking spot for anyone may be the one they are currently in”. Chief Paul Flanagan, March 10, 2015
