Minneapolis declares Snow Emergency
Minneapolis has declared a Snow Emergency beginning today, Dec. 20, 2010. To make the transition from Winter Parking Restrictions to Snow Emergency rules, drivers may start moving their cars off of Snow Emergency Routes and on to EITHER side of the non-Snow Emergency Routes beginning at 4 p.m. today, Dec. 20. During this Snow Emergency, Winter Parking Restrictions are not in effect. However, beginning at 8 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 23, Winter Parking Restrictions will resume and parking will be banned on the EVEN side of non-Snow Emergency Routes. Vikings fans are reminded to pay attention to the Snow Emergency parking rules if driving to the game. In particular, many roads around TCF Bank Stadium are Snow Emergency routes and therefore there is no parking on Snow Emergency routes beginning at 9 p.m. tonight (the Vikings game may not conclude until after 10 p.m.). All vehicles parked in violation of the Snow Emergency parking rules are subject to a ticket and tow.
This latest Snow Emergency will be the 5th of the season. Minneapolis received more than 24 inches of snow in December, making it the 5h snowiest December recorded in the metro area. Since more snow began falling this morning, City crews have been plowing and treating streets to keep them drivable. Now that a Snow Emergency has been declared, Snow Emergency parking restrictions will take effect beginning at 9 p.m., Monday, so crews can plow the 1,000 miles of streets as wide as possible. That’s the equivalent of 3,200 "lane miles" of streets that need to be plowed—enough to plow a lane from Minneapolis to Anchorage, Alaska.
For crews to fully plow the streets and parking lanes, it is imperative that drivers follow Snow Emergency rules and move their cars out of the ways of the plow. It’s in everyone’s best interest to follow the parking rules so plows can do the best job possible and folks can avoid a ticket and tow. Working together, City crews can deliver the high-quality plowing services that residents demand.
Snow Emergency parking rules
Tonight, Dec. 20 , 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. (Day 1)
Do not park on EITHER side of a Snow Emergency route until the street is fully plowed (completely cleared and plowed to the full width of that side of the street).
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Day 2)
Do not park on the EVEN side of a non-Snow Emergency route, or on EITHER side of a parkway until the street is fully plowed.
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Day 3)
Do not park on the ODD side of a non-Snow Emergency route until the street is fully plowed.
Thursday, Dec. 23 - 8 a.m. ("Day 4") - Return to Winter Parking Restrictions
Between 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, and 8 a.m., Friday Dec. 24, people can begin moving their cars from the EVEN side of non-Snow Emergency Routes to the ODD side to be in compliance when the Winter Parking Restrictions resume at 8 a.m. During Winter Parking Restrictions, parking is banned on the EVEN SIDE of non-Snow Emergency Routes. Drivers still need to follow all posted NO PARKING signs.
For more information on Snow Emergencies in Minneapolis, visit www.MinneapolisMN.gov/Snow.
Spreading the word about Snow Emergencies
The City of Minneapolis uses a number of ways to help folks learn about and follow the Snow Emergency parking rules. We advise drivers to put several of these tools to use, not just one or two. The more ways they have to learn about a Snow Emergency, the less likely they’ll be towed because they didn’t know one was declared.
- Call the hotline - By calling the automated (612) 348-SNOW hotline, folks can find out if a Snow Emergency has been declared and where to park during Winter Parking Restrictions. The hotline will include information on parking restrictions that drivers need to follow to avoid tickets and tows. The hotline includes information in Spanish, Somali, and Hmong.
- Check out the City's website - Go to Winter Parking Restrictions
- Phone alerts - Minneapolis uses a phone alert system to notify residents when Snow Emergencies are declared and Winter Parking Restrictions are instituted. It is an automated notification system that can place thousands of calls per hour. The system automatically calls listed numbers—to also receive a call to your cell phone, go to Snow Emergency Phone Alerts to sign up.
- E-mail alerts - You can sign up to get Snow Emergency alerts automatically e-mailed to you. Go to E-Mail and Text Message Snow Alerts for more details. Winter Parking Restrictions information will also be e-mailed to those who subscribe to these alerts.
- The media - News releases are sent to the media so TV, radio stations and other news outlets can inform their viewers, listeners and readers that a Snow Emergency is in effect or Winter Parking Restrictions have been instituted
- On Cable - Tune in to cable channels 14 and 79. These channels will have information in several languages when a Snow Emergency is declared or Winter Parking Restrictions instituted.
- Facebook – "Like" Minneapolis Snow Emergency on Facebook. Go to www.facebook.com/MinneapolisSnowEmergency.
- Twitter - twitter.com/minneapolissnow. If you have a Twitter account, just follow us. Both the Twitter and Facebook pages will tell fans and followers about Snow Emergencies and Winter Parking Restrictions.
About Winter Parking Restrictions
Winter Parking Restrictions were put into effect Friday, Dec. 17 in Minneapolis to ensure reliable access for emergency vehicles after a record December snowfall. This means parking is banned on the even side of non-Snow-Emergency-routes until April 1, unless conditions allow the City to lift the ban earlier. Parking is allowed on both sides of Snow Emergency routes and parkways, and the ODD side of non-Snow Emergency-routes, unless otherwise posted and provided a Snow Emergency has NOT been declared. Drivers parking in Minneapolis must follow these Winter Parking Restrictions, or they could be ticketed and towed.
The decision to enact Winter Parking Restrictions was made by the Police Chief and City Engineer, who were also in consultation with the Fire Chief.
Published Dec. 20, 2010