Snow Route Parking Bans -- BAN Starting 9:00am Wednesday December 4th, 2013

[FlamesKickAss]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I live in Marda Loop and had no idea the ban was on. The plow covered my car when it went by, but whatever.

The City needs an app or something, or some way of notifying people via smartphone. I didn't even see it pop up on my Calgary Herald breaking news.

There is an iPhone app as well

[Bigtime]

In this day and age being prepared for a snow route ban is even easier, with less excuses for the "I didn't hear about it crowd". Let's see all the ways I heard about this last one:

-Twitter (re-tweeted god knows how many times)
-Facebook
-Calgary Herald Online
-Radio (660 news in my case)
-Calgarypuck
-Email from the city (if you have signed up)
-Your fellow coworkers talking about it

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

In this day and age being prepared for a snow route ban is even easier, with less excuses for the "I didn't hear about it crowd". Let's see all the ways I heard about this last one:

-Twitter (re-tweeted god knows how many times)
-Facebook
-Calgary Herald Online
-Radio (660 news in my case)
-Calgarypuck
-Email from the city (if you have signed up)
-Your fellow coworkers talking about it

I don't use twitter, I didn't see it on CH, I listen to satellite radio, I didn't see the thread on CP (was in Banff Friday).

So yeah, I have a lot of excuses

Just signed up for email alerts though. That should solve the problem.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by FlamesKickAss

There is an iPhone app as well

There is an app,,,but after reading the reviews it looks like it doesn't get updated at all.

[Northendzone]

here is an app for folks - look around where you park your car - is there those little blue signs with the snowflake on them affixed to light posts? if no then no worries, if yes, then did it snow recently? if no, then there are likely no worries, if yes, then it might be best to move your car or face a $75 parking fee.

The whole concept does not seem that difficult.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

here is an app for folks - look around where you park your car - is there those little blue signs with the snowflake on them affixed to light posts? if no then no worries, if yes, then did it snow recently? if no, then there are likely no worries, if yes, then it might be best to move your car or face a $75 parking fee.

The whole concept does not seem that difficult.

The problem is that the signs aren't very large or noticeable (something the city said they were going to address over the summer, but didn't), and they aren't very frequent.

For example, if you drive on 8th Ave NE from Edmonton Trail to 6 St NE (4 blocks), I believe you'll pass 2 snow route signs, and one of them is right at the corner of Edmonton Trail and 8th Ave, so you're unlikely to even see it because your attention will be focused on the other traffic. Then, if you turn onto 6th St and go north from 8th Ave to 16th Ave (8 blocks), you'll pass another 2 snow route signs.

Compare that with this street in Chicago: http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Chicago...,98.48,,0,6.41 Their signs don't appear to be much larger than Calgary's yet they're more noticeable, and they have at least one per block.

[Northendzone]

i guess if i had to park on the street on a regular basis, i'd do some reasearch on my street and the surrounding streets to understand if it is a snow route

[Jimmy Stang]

I can see it both ways. One sign per block seems like the bare minimum to me, but the city's web site and 311 can also help you find out if you're on a snow route.

[anyonebutedmonton]

My problem is that I go through the hassle of moving my car, but because the vast majority of people don't, my street looks exactly the same as it did before. So no gain for some hassle.

Taking a peek at the cars that were not moved, I have yet to see even a ticket, let alone anyone being towed. It has to be an all or nothing proposition. Either tow everyone and get the street cleaned, or abandon the program altogether.

[getbak]

They're back...

Snow Event advisory - Snow Route parking bans expected

Due to the recent large accumulation of snow in the Calgary area, a city-wide Snow Route parking ban is expected to be declared as of 6 a.m. Friday, January 11, 2013.

Calgarians parked on designated Snow Routes are advised to move their cars prior to this time.

[getbak]

The ban is over...

City of Calgary ‏@cityofcalgary

Snow Route Parking Ban lifted as of 6 pm. Thanks #yyc for making #yyctraffic safer by helping us clear the snow curb-to-curb.

[Madman]

Parking Ban to take effect Wednesday December 4th, 2013 at 9:00am.

YYC Transportation
@yyctransport
A snow route parking ban will be in effect beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. Learn more and find snow routes here: ow.ly/rppdF

[4X4]

So how does it work for people whose garbage collection happens during a parking ban? Lucky for me, I have an alley behind my house, but there are a lot of streets in my community that are bus routes, and they're all front drive garages, with no back lane. What do those people do with their bins?

[Acey]

500 tickets so far, as per Global... has me wondering if they're giving enough notice/doing a good enough job of communicating it.

[Ironhorse]

At some point, people just don't listen. I've seen plenty of communication on snow routes and how they work, both in the media as well as inserts in various mailings from the city. It's to the point where I know where the snow routes near my house are, even though I'm not on one.

Ignorance is not an excuse.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Acey

500 tickets so far, as per Global... has me wondering if they're giving enough notice/doing a good enough job of communicating it.

It's been a couple years now, hasn't it? At some point, the onus is on citizens to maybe turn on the radio, or check the newspaper, or, God forbid, google it. My method of checking CP worked for me.

Pro tip: if there is a heavy snow fall, check to see if there's a parking ban.

[burn_this_city]

I support the snow route ban, but for tonight how can I plug my truck in if I can't park in front of my town home? It's going to be minus -28 overnight, well below plug in temperature for a diesel vehicle.

[Nyah]

Originally Posted by Acey

500 tickets so far, as per Global... has me wondering if they're giving enough notice/doing a good enough job of communicating it.

I think that if you're on a snow route, whether residential or parking at work, it becomes your responsibility to find out whether there's a parking ban or not. Especially after a storm like the one we just had. I don't believe for one second that people are surprised by the parking ban today. The city can go to all kinds of lengths to alert people to an imminent parking ban, but if people aren't paying attention; the message won't get through. At some point, it has to become the responsibility of the driver to pay attention to alerts after crazy snowfalls.

That being said: what about the people whose cars are literally buried in three feet of snow on snow routes?

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by Acey

500 tickets so far, as per Global... has me wondering if they're giving enough notice/doing a good enough job of communicating it.

I, luckily, have an underground and heated parking space, but I wonder how effective the snow route parking bans really are when:

1) The City issues them well after the snowfall has ended, thereby making it difficult for some to actually move their cars (since, you know, they are snowed in...);

2) The owner of the car is on vacation or on a work trip out of the city, and, having left their car parked on the street, is now unable to move their car (since, you know, they aren't in Calgary at the moment and--quite possibly--won't be for some time); and

3) There is already a lack of adequate parking in the city, so where does the City expect those who have cars located in the now-banned parking areas to put them (since, you know, had there been an alternative parking space available that wasn't on the snow route list, the car likely would have been parked there to begin with)?

All in all, the snow parking bans strikes me as being a good idea in theory, but difficult to implement properly--particularly when it is implemented in such an irregular and ad hoc fashion.

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by Nyah

That being said: what about the people whose cars are literally buried in three feet of snow on snow routes?

Which also goes to my point: What's the point of calling a parking ban after the snow has fallen?

Wouldn't it make more sense to call the ban before the snow begins to fall?

Perhaps the parking ban should be automatically implemented 24 hours prior to the day that at least X amount of snowfall is predicted to fall.

Sure, snowfall predictions aren't 100% accurate, and gauging the amount of expected snowfall isn't a precise science, but this whole "will the city call a snow ban or not" quandry after any particular snowfall is needless hassle for Calgarians.

Just create a hard-and-fast rule and stick with it, I say.