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Winnipeg’s snow-clearing operation is pushing forward despite some obstacles on the street, and the city is mulling whether to hike fines for drivers who don’t move their vehicles for snowplows.
The city’s residential snow-clearing operations are triggered when 10 or more centimetres of snow falls, and that’s when the city asks residents to use the Know Your Zone app to check for parking restrictions.
On Monday, CBC News observed snow-covered cars on Gertrude Avenue, between Osborne and Daly Streets, which violated the residential parking ban that went into effect Sunday, forcing city crews to leave behind partially-cleared streets.
Joe Davis, who has visited the area frequently for over two decades, says there’s always some snow that gets left behind on the street.
“The plows, they probably want to do it but the cars are there, so they can’t,” he told CBC News.
Davis says some drivers aren’t getting the message about when to steer clear of snowy streets.
“I think the best thing is signs, because not everybody listens to the radio and not everybody’s informed about that, but if there’s a sign … they probably won’t park.”
Janice Lukes, chair of the city’s public works committee, says signage costs too much money and time.
Lukes says there are “countless ways” for people to know when their zone is going to get plowed, which includes the zoning app, social media, and other advertising paid for by the city.
She’s not sure what more the city can do to get the message across.
“It is unfortunate because it’s not fair to the people that do move their vehicles and want a clean street,” she said. “We can, I guess, spend all the money in the world on advertising, and I think we should just focus on maybe raising the price of the tickets.”
The fine is currently $200, but Winnipeggers will find their tickets in the mail and not on their windshields, as Lukes says the city has shifted to digital ticketing.
Lukes says she’s not sure what more can be done to keep people informed about the parking bans, as the city already uses social media and physical advertisements. (Josh Crabb/CBC)
The residential parking ban is different from the winter snow route parking ban, which applies to select streets overnight. The winter snow route ban is currently paused to give people more parking options during the residential plow.
The city says the number of complaints about vehicles left on the street has decreased. There were 206 complaints during a residential plow in January 2022, which went down to 30 in January 2024 and just six during last December’s residential snow clearing operation.
Lukes says the city has also stopped what it called “courtesy tows,” which moved vehicles in violation of a parking ban. The practice was too expensive, she said, costing the city more than $900,000 in 2021.
The number of tickets for Winnipeg’s recent snowfall will be released following the completion of the plowing, which ends on Tuesday at 7 p.m., according to the city.
Lukes said the tickets are also part of the city’s messaging about the parking bans, but there’s no perfect system to keep everyone informed about when to move.
“I don’t think we’ll ever, ever get everyone to move their vehicle off the road when we do a residential plow,” Lukes said.
“Not everyone wants to comply, either.”
WATCH | Vehicles violate parking ban during snow plow:
Vehicles violating parking ban put damper on snow plow
The City of Winnipeg has been asking people to Know Your Zone and check for parking restrictions while crews plow residential streets. But some drivers still aren’t getting the message.