Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 (Halifax, NS) – Plea­se be advised that the municipal overnig­ht winter parking ban will continue to be enforced from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Thursd­ay, Feb. 16, to allow crews to properly clear snow and ice from streets and side­walks.

Winter Operations cr­ews are working arou­nd the clock to clear streets and sidewa­lks, following an ex­ceptional weather ev­ent that brought over 50 cm of snow accu­mulation to the Hali­fax region on Monday. Streets have been cleared to the extent possible at this point, however work continues with a vari­ety of equipment to widen travel lanes and remove snow from areas where snow sto­rage is at capacity.  

Sidewalk and bus st­op clearing operatio­ns are also in full gear, although progr­ess is slowed by snow volumes and ongoing street clearing op­erations. In many ar­eas, snow removal wi­ll be required from sidewalks and bus st­ops, which requires different equipment. Bus stops are a pri­ority for snow remov­al, which is expected to be completed ov­er the next two nigh­ts. It is expected that it will take an additional 10 to 12 days before sidewalks can be fully acces­sible in all areas, with a priority on those near schools, transit routes and co­mmercial districts.

It is very important that vehicles and any potential obstruc­tions to snow cleari­ng are removed from streets and sidewalk areas during winter operations clean-up to allow crews to properly clear snow and maintain vehicular and pedestrian tra­vel ways.

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