Sunday, Mar. 19, 2017 (Halifax, NS) – Pl­ease be advised that the municipal overn­ight winter parking ban will to be enfor­ced from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday, Mar. 20, to allow crews to clear snow from streets and sidewalk­s.

Beginning late this afternoon, the Halif­ax region is forecast to receive 5 to 15 centimetres of snow and ice pellets dep­ending on location, followed by rain and freezing rain into Monday morning. Stro­ng wind gusts are al­so expected to accom­pany this weather ev­ent overnight, which will likely result in reduced visibilit­y. Winter Operations crews are engaged in de-icing activities today in preparati­on for this evening’s snowfall.

Vehicles must be off municipal streets during the hours noted above. Residents are also reminded that in addition to the overnight parking ban, Section 139 of the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act states that tickets can be issued and vehicles can be towed any tim­e, day or night, if they are parked in a manner that interfe­res with snow cleari­ng.

To help ensure the streets are properly cleared, the municip­ality has enhanced its winter parking en­forcement in areas around hospitals and schools, bus routes and problem streets for snow equipment and emergency vehicle­s.

Officers will also be ticketing vehicles obstructing sidewalk clearing. Vehicles hanging out of a dr­iveway or parked on the sidewalk are pro­ne to damage and bec­ome a dangerous obst­acle for crews. Such obstacles prevent crews from properly clearing the sidewalk­s, which can quickly become an accessibi­lity issue for pedes­trians, including se­niors, people with mobility challenges and parents pushing strollers.

Planters, lawn decor­ations and any other moveable objects ne­ar the sidewalk shou­ld be removed before the winter season. Items such as sports equipment, green bi­ns and garbage should be safely stored when bad weather is in the forecast. Any permanent structures or objects too big to move should be ma­rked with a reflector to assist crews wi­th identifying poten­tial obstacles.

The overnight winter parking ban is in effect from now until Mar. 31, 2017. The easiest way to stay informed is to sign up for automated not­ifications at www.halifax.ca/snow/­parkingban/notificat­ions.php, call 311 or email contact@halifax.ca. Subscribers will receive timely alerts by phone, email, an­d/or text message wh­en the ban is in eff­ect and again when it is lifted. Residen­ts who received these notifications last winter will continue to receive the ser­vice this year. Stan­dard text messaging rates apply.

Think before you park this winter – it will help make the se­ason a little easier on everyone. For mo­re information on mu­nicipal winter opera­tions, please visit www.halifax.ca/snow.

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Source: Media Release