City of Minneapolis issued the following announcement on Oct. 29.
Snow season is approaching, and Minneapolis residents should watch their mail over the next several days for information so they can help crews do a complete job by moving their cars and avoid tickets and tows when a Snow Emergency is declared in Minneapolis. The City of Minneapolis is sending out about 182,000 Snow Emergency mailers, one to each household in the city. The mailer has graphics and text showing the parking rules during the three phases of a Snow Emergency.
People should hold on to the mailers throughout the winter and have them handy whenever a Snow Emergency is declared. They outline the Snow Emergency parking rules and ways to stay informed throughout the winter season. The more people follow the Snow Emergency parking rules and help their neighbors and visitors do the same, the easier snow season is on everyone.
Snow Emergencies are declared whenever there’s enough snowfall to warrant a complete plowing of our streets. To get that done, people need to follow the parking rules and move their vehicles so crews can plow the full width of the street. When the snow flies, City Public Works crews have enormous jobs to do, with more than 1,400 miles of streets, parkways and alleys that need to be cleared. It’s important for drivers to follow the Snow Emergency parking rules so plows can do the best job possible clearing snow. Vehicles parked on the street in violation of Snow Emergency rules can be ticketed or towed.
Getting drivers to follow Snow Emergency parking rules helps the City, too. Towing and impounding vehicles is expensive and makes plowing inefficient, so it’s in everyone’s interest to help drivers follow the parking rules and avoid a ticket and tow.
Sign up now, stay informed throughout the season
Residents, workers and visitors have several ways to learn when Snow Emergencies are declared and what to do when they are. The City advises drivers to put many of these tools to use, not just one or two. The more ways people use to learn about a Snow Emergency, the more prepared they will be to do their part, and the less likely they will be to be towed.
Hotline: Call the automated 612-348-SNOW hotline. If a Snow Emergency is in effect, the hotline will have information on that day’s parking restrictions that drivers need to follow to avoid tickets and tows. The hotline includes information in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong.
The City’s website: Go to minneapolismn.gov/snow to find out whether a Snow Emergency has been declared and for a wealth of information on Snow Emergencies in many languages. Also, check out the street lookup, which lets you put in an address or a neighborhood to see where you can park during a Snow Emergency.
Phone calls to residents: Minneapolis uses automated phone calls to notify residents when Snow Emergencies are declared. The system can place thousands of calls per hour. You can add your cellphone or unlisted landline number to the alert system by signing up at minneapolismn.gov/snow.
Social media: Like Minneapolis Snow Emergency on Facebook and Twitter.
Email and text alerts: You can sign up to get Snow Emergency alerts automatically emailed or texted to you. Go to minneapolismn.gov/snow/snow_esubscribe for more details.
Smartphone app: Drivers who have Android devices or iPhones can download the Snow Emergency app. During a Snow Emergency, the app will tell them the parking rules for that day. It also has a street lookup, which allows users to see the parking rules in detail by entering an address or using the device’s location services features.
The news media: News releases are sent to the media so TV, radio stations and other news outlets can inform their viewers and listeners that a Snow Emergency is in effect.
Cable TV: Tune in to Minneapolis City TV (Comcast channel 859 or CenturyLink channel 8502). These channels will have information in several languages when a Snow Emergency is declared. Â
Original source can be found here
