Winter Parking Restrictions resume in Minneapolis
With the completion of the City's 5th Snow Emergency – the most ever declared before Christmas - Winter Parking Restrictions in Minneapolis resumed Thursday, Dec. 23 at 8 a.m. During Winter Parking Restrictions, parking is banned on the EVEN side of non-Snow Emergency routes and drivers still need to follow all posted NO PARKING signs. With the Christmas holiday weekend just a day away, the City of Minneapolis wants to remind folks that Winter Parking Restrictions are in place and that they should follow the parking rules to avoid a ticket and tow and also spread the word to their friends and family who are travelling to Minneapolis.
Parking is also restricted on four Snow Emergency routes
th Streets; Grand Avenue South from Lake Street to 48th Street; Dupont Avenue South from 28th Street to 36th Street; and Emerson Avenue South from 28th Street to 36th Street. Please follow the posted signs.
Winter Parking Restrictions were put into effect Friday, Dec. 17 in Minneapolis to ensure reliable access for emergency vehicles after a record December snowfall. Winter Parking Restrictions will be in place 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.
The City of Minneapolis has also produced videos in Hmong explaining how to follow the Winter Parking Restrictions rules. These videos are airing on our city cable channels, on Facebook and on YouTube. This has proven to be an effective way to get the word out to non-English speakers. For example, the Somali version of this video has already received 1,177 views on YouTube.
For more information about Snow Emergencies and Winter Parking Restrictions in Minneapolis, visit www.MinneapolisMN.gov/Snow
Spreading the word about Snow Emergencies and Winter Parking Restrictions
The City of Minneapolis uses a number of ways to help folks learn about and follow the Snow Emergency (when declared) and Winter Parking Restrictions 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.
Published Dec. 23, 2010