Montreal has suspended several parking restrictions as a freezing rain storm moves through the city, coating streets and sidewalks in ice.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced Wednesday that regulations for paid parking spaces and residential permit zones were suspended starting at 1 p.m. They will remain lifted until 8 a.m. Thursday.
“Due to the ice storm, parking regulations for paid parking spaces and sticker-only zones have been suspended since 1 p.m., when the ice storm began, and will remain suspended until 8 a.m. tomorrow,” she wrote in a message posted on Facebook.
The temporary measure allows drivers to park in most metered and permit-only spaces overnight without risk of a ticket.
Some restrictions remain in place, like reserved lanes and spaces for people with reduced mobility. Secure zones continue to be enforced.
“If possible, avoid driving,” Martinez Ferrada added.
On Wednesday evening, more than 10,000 addresses lost power as Environment Canada warned the storm could bring 20 to 30 millimetres of freezing rain.
REM service in the South Shore was also suspended until the morning.
The mayor said more than 1,000 municipal workers had been deployed across the city to spread salt and abrasives as conditions deteriorated.
Write to Harry North at hnorth@postmedia.com