Winter overnight parking ban begins Tuesday
Sun. November 29, 2009 12:00 AM by Chicago Breaking News
Chicago, IL -
The City of Chicago will begin to enforce its winter overnight parking restrictions for a little more than 100 miles of the city's busiest thoroughfares at 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Enforcement will last from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. between Tuesday and April 1, regardless of snow, according to a news release from the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation.
"Motorists should also pay attention to the two-inch snow restrictions that are technically in effect all year round but realistically are only a factor during the winter months," Streets and Sanitation said in a statement.
Ignoring signs for the parking ban, which are permanently posted, can cost a violator a minimum $150 towing fee, a $50 ticket and a daily storage fee of $10 that will increase over time.
A separate seasonal parking ban could go into effect during heavy snow conditions on another 500 miles of main streets when there are two or more inches of snow on the street, regardless of the time of day or calendar date. Although this restriction is not often activated, motorists that violate it face ticketing.
The two seasonal restrictions together constitute Chicago's "Snow Route System," which was created as a response to massive snowstorms, including the Great Blizzard of '67, which halted traffic all over the city.
"These routes are critical and need to be kept up and running at all times so that emergency vehicles, buses and cars are able to get through," Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Thomas G. Byrne said in the release.
Over the years, Streets and Sanitation has noticed that most motorists who park on the street tend to leave their cars in place during a storm, according to the release.
"Illegally parked cars on these roadways prevent the routes from being fully plowed and salted," it stated. "The snow that continues to fall gets pushed up against these vehicles by passing plows and that further restricts the traffic capacity of the street."
"It is very important for our residents who park on the street to work with us to keep these critical routes open to full capacity by obeying the winter parking regulations," Byrne said in the release. "Let's work together so that we can all make it through winter safely and securely."
Here's the city press release on the ban; here a list of the routes affected; here's a map of the routes affected; here's a map of those routes affected when the snow is over two inches deep.
The City of Chicago will begin to enforce its winter overnight parking restrictions for a little more than 100 miles of the city's busiest thoroughfares at 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Enforcement will last from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. between Tuesday and April 1, regardless of snow, according to a news release from the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation.
"Motorists should also pay attention to the two-inch snow restrictions that are technically in effect all year round but realistically are only a factor during the winter months," Streets and Sanitation said in a statement.
Ignoring signs for the parking ban, which are permanently posted, can cost a violator a minimum $150 towing fee, a $50 ticket and a daily storage fee of $10 that will increase over time.
A separate seasonal parking ban could go into effect during heavy snow conditions on another 500 miles of main streets when there are two or more inches of snow on the street, regardless of the time of day or calendar date. Although this restriction is not often activated, motorists that violate it face ticketing.
The two seasonal restrictions together constitute Chicago's "Snow Route System," which was created as a response to massive snowstorms, including the Great Blizzard of '67, which halted traffic all over the city.
"These routes are critical and need to be kept up and running at all times so that emergency vehicles, buses and cars are able to get through," Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Thomas G. Byrne said in the release.
Over the years, Streets and Sanitation has noticed that most motorists who park on the street tend to leave their cars in place during a storm, according to the release.
"Illegally parked cars on these roadways prevent the routes from being fully plowed and salted," it stated. "The snow that continues to fall gets pushed up against these vehicles by passing plows and that further restricts the traffic capacity of the street."
"It is very important for our residents who park on the street to work with us to keep these critical routes open to full capacity by obeying the winter parking regulations," Byrne said in the release. "Let's work together so that we can all make it through winter safely and securely."
Here's the city press release on the ban; here a list of the routes affected; here's a map of the routes affected; here's a map of those routes affected when the snow is over two inches deep.
Article provided in partnership with ChicagoBreakingNews.com.