So if you live in a place where it snows often -- what do you do about parking?

[Mickey'snewestfan]

We are now 8 days post "Snowmageddon", here and parking is still a huge problem. I live on a street where no one has driveways or garages (true for most of my city), we just park on the street. Usually there's enough space -- you might have to park a few houses down or even on the next block (that's rare) but you can find something).

Now, however, the street is a mix of cars that are snowed in, cars that are dug out, and spaces filled with the snow that those of us who dug our cars out threw there (because I'm not sure where else you would put it. I hired a young teenager to dig me out the first time and he put the snow in the street, first time we got plowed it all got pushed back against my car, making a 4 foot wall). When people leave they put a chair in their spot because otherwise they'll come back and have no place to park.

I took my son to a friend's house today and was planning on staying a while but I had to leave because there was no parking anywhere. The house next door is having work done and the poor electrician keeps popping his head out the door to look and see if there's anyone leaving so he can "borrow" their space. He's really nice and tells you to come ring the doorbell and let him know when you're back and he'll give you your space back, but that only works because I live on a really wide/non busy street so you can get away with double parking for a few minutes while you go make that transition. The friend where my child is lives on a street with 4 lanes -- 2 are parking, and the other 2 are reduced to one by the mounds of snow left by the plow.

I imagine that this will continue until the snow melts (in March maybe?).

So, I know that if you live in Canada, for example, you must be able to visit a friend or have an electrician between November and April -- it seems logical. So what do people in Northern climes do that we just haven't figure out yet.

 

[golfgal]

Well, if you live in a place that snows often you usually have a garage or at minimum, a driveway. I know in Minneapolis they have more on street parking and when the snow banks get to a certain point, they limit parking to one side of the street only so emergency vehicles can get through which forces people to shovel out their driveways . Most cities don't allow parking on the street in the winter, at least overnight. In cities that have more on street parking they declare a "snow emergency" and then you can only park on one side of the street until they are plowed, then the next day you move your car to the other side of the street until that side is plowed. If you don't move your car you get a ticket and towed. In our town there is no overnight parking on the street from November 1st to April 1st or any time there is more then 2" of snow predicted.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Most places around here have driveways. When I visit friends (even when it's not snowing) sometimes I have park several houses down or on the next street... I just walk.

 

[Christine]

My guess is that those northern, snowy cities do a MUCH better job at plowing than DC does (which is HORRENDOUS).

DC has snow emergency too, but I'm not sure why. When I left my office on Friday afternoon and drove through town, I was shocked that so many residential streets were still snowed in. It had been 2 days since the last snowfall and they hadn't been touched.

They also decided that at 6:00 a.m on Friday morning (the absolute start of rush hour) to do major snow removal on the ramps off the freeway.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

For us, the snow capital in the US we have odd-even parking, meaning you park on one side one day, another the next, this allows the plows to clear the streets. We also have pretty good enforcement of parking violations, and they have no issues towing cars that are not moved when it snows (tickets are given when its just for violation with no snow).

Sounds like they need to start towing cars that are not moved. They should also close down streets over a period of week (alternative streets) to get them cleared out, cars not moved by say 6 PM of the day of the street closure would be towed. Once the street is cleared, parking resumes.

 

[Poohbug]

Yes-we have snow emergency every time it snows enough for the plows to come out. Depending on what the date is-you must park on only one side of the street-then the next day you only park on the other side. You will get a ticket and maybe a tow if you do not. You will be plowed in if you don't.

Sometimes the city will let you park in the parking garages for free overnight but you must have your car out before people start showing up for work or you will be fined.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Most places around here have driveways. When I visit friends (even when it's not snowing) sometimes I have park several houses down or on the next street... I just walk.

The next street over has the same problem. At my friend's house today I drove every street in a 4 block radius. I would have driven farther but it was pretty clear the pattern would have held so I gave up, and dropped the kid.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I'm hearing a lot of parking restrictions -- but where would you expect the cars to go? My street the houses are probably about 2 cars long. Many of the houses (like mine) are broken into 2 units (upstairs and down), and other families have 2 cars. It averages out so that at 4 in the morning, when I assume the majority of people are home 90% of the spaces on both sides are full -- every street around here is like that. So, if they announced that everyone had to be off one side of the street (even before the snow filled up spaces) where would we put those cars?

I think the biggest part of the answer is "people have driveways". I'm guessing that if I were looking to rent a house in Canada a driveway would be a bigger lure. Do apartment buildings in cold places have sufficient onsite parking? The one I use to live in had a 2 year waiting list.

 

[FireDancer]

Most of our cities have a snow ban that forbids parking on the street if there is more then 2" of snow on the street. This allows the plows to get through. There are very few neighborhoods or cities around here without driveways and garages.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I don't personally know anyone who lives somewhere that doesn't have a driveway (or, if they're in an apartment... doesn't have a parking lot.) I don't know about Canada, but if you were going to move to WNY, "a house with a driveway" wouldn't really be that hard to find.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I'm hearing a lot of parking restrictions -- but where would you expect the cars to go? My street the houses are probably about 2 cars long. Many of the houses (like mine) are broken into 2 units (upstairs and down), and other families have 2 cars. It averages out so that at 4 in the morning, when I assume the majority of people are home 90% of the spaces on both sides are full -- every street around here is like that. So, if they announced that everyone had to be off one side of the street (even before the snow filled up spaces) where would we put those cars?

Usually there is a lot that they dedicate for this purpose within a few blocks (ie. grocery store, convenience store, etc.). Basically its an inconvenience for all, but a necessity.

 

[Christine]

I don't personally know anyone who lives somewhere that doesn't have a driveway (or, if they're in an apartment... doesn't have a parking lot.) I don't know about Canada, but if you were going to move to WNY, "a house with a driveway" wouldn't really be that hard to find.

But what about in the cities where you basically have rowhouses, townhouses? They are built, basically, right up to the street. No driveways, just street parking for residents. That's what it is in DC.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Usually there is a lot that they dedicate for this purpose within a few blocks (ie. grocery store, convenience store, etc.). Basically its an inconvenience for all, but a necessity.

Many of our local convenience stores etc . . . don't have their own lots, but the ones that do, the police are watching very closely for walk offs right now, and are giving $250 tickets, even if you're gone less than an hour.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Many of our local convenience stores etc . . . don't have their own lots, but the ones that do, the police are watching very closely for walk offs right now, and are giving $250 tickets, even if you're gone less than an hour.

In our area, when they inact these policies, they work with the stores and work out a system with them to do these types of policies.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

But what about in the cities where you basically have rowhouses, townhouses? They are built, basically, right up to the street. No driveways, just street parking for residents. That's what it is in DC.

I have no idea. That's why I said I don't personally know anyone who doesn't have a driveway or parking lot. We don't have housing like that here, and my guess is that our winter weather probably has a lot to do with that.

 

[AKL_Megs]

We shovel our driveway for our guests... and we have a garage for our cars. On our streets, we have snow emergencies, so nobody can park on the street, and then they come and plow them. Once they are plowed, cars can park on them! Problem solved!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I think it's interesting because you often hear that those communities who can't deal with this kind of snow (like DC) are wimpy, but reading this makes you realize that places that deal with snow regularly have whole different set ups. I can think of one business within a mile that has a parking lot that fit more than 2 or 3 cars, and it maybe fits 70. I think the local public school lot could fit another 20 or so. There are bare minimum 4 of 5 thousand families who would need to find parking if we went to every other side of the street even for a day. It sounds like places that get snow just have different set ups and don't have block after block after block of row houses without driveways.

I'm guessing that there's also some other solution to the "where to put the snow" question other than the 8 foot high mound of snow between the end of the sidwalk and the street on each block (in the no parking zone right before each intersection).

 

[AKL_Megs]

I'm guessing that there's also some other solution to the "where to put the snow" question other than the 8 foot high mound of snow between the end of the sidwalk and the street on each block (in the no parking zone right before each intersection).

We had a '4 pile of snow at the sides of our driveway. DH then scraped some of the 4' piles, threw it next to those piles, and now we have four 2' piles!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I thought of another policy I have seen is switch street parking, with each address restricted to just one parked vehicle, if you have more then one, then the other vehicle must be parked somewhere else (public lot, designated area, etc). There are a few ways they inforce this, one is by plate identification, another is a required pass system.

 

[freckles and boo]

Our community will bulldoze the snow into trucks and remove it off the streets if the piles get too deep. We have odd/even parking for plowing but it isn't always enforced. I haven't lived in the city of Chicago for a dozen years (although I only live blocks away) but spot saving is one of the more controversial things people do. It is sort of a cultural tradition.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/01/mell-on-snow-dibs-knock-it-off.html