Parking tickets could be more abundant with winter conditions

Parking tickets could potentially increase this winter due to many Duluth residents leaving their vehicles on snow emergency routes. Not only will cars be ticketed, they could also be towed and impounded due to blocking these routes for snowplows.

Leaving your vehicle on a snow emergency route or the wrong side of the street it can be financially devastating. A couple years ago, a parking ticket for leaving your car on a snow emergency route would be $28. However, the Duluth’s parking services have increased the ticket price to $52, to ensure compliance with the snow emergency protocols.

Mark Bauer, the Parking Services Manager in Duluth explained that these laws are necessary for safety reasons. “We’re not able to get plows through, emergency vehicles could have trouble getting through, and the public has trouble getting through those areas, too. Just trying to get from point A to point B.” Bauer said.

Bauer said there are only a couple unique circumstances to not ticket or tow a car. One example would be if a car was in a reserved parking space, for people with disabilities. In that scenario, the car should be moved when safe to do so, before it gets blocked in from the snowplows.

“We’ll follow the established plan that we were following last year. Which is trying to address the most problematic areas with regard to alternate side parking and on snow emergency roads. With the goal in mind all the time that we are making sure those roads are clear. Making sure that plows can get through perform activities to ensure public safety during a snow event. The last couple of years, as we’ve implemented a new snow emergency procedures, we’ve got this, which is our brochure. We mail out to every residence in the city.” Bauer said.

For more information about snow emergency routes you can look here https://duluthmn.gov/snow/

For more information about where to park during a snow emergency you can read our story here https://www.wdio.com/archive/where-you-can-park-for-a-duluth-snow-emergency/.