Snow removal is underway across the island of Montreal and that means orange no-parking signs are popping up everywhere.
You could spend your mornings digging your car out from its street-side parking spot – and risk getting towed – but there is an easier solution.
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The city is offering free overnight parking in 19 boroughs:
- Ahuntsic-Cartierville
- Anjou
- Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
- Lachine
- LaSalle
- Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
- Le Sud-Ouest
- L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
- Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Montréal-Nord - Outremont
- Pierrefonds-Roxboro
- Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles
- Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
- Saint-Laurent
- Saint-Léonard
- Verdun
- Ville-Marie
- Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc Extension
In total, there are 5,700 overnight spots in municipal lots and another 2,100 locations of free street parking.
The parking lots are plowed and many of them have over 100 spots.
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The only catch: it’s only available overnight and drivers must leave by 7 a.m.
“The major stall block of the snow operations is the fact that we have to tow away cars,” said city spokesperson Jacques-Alain Lavallée.
He explained every car that gets towed – about 5,000 each snow storm – takes about ten minutes, which can bring the whole convoy to a halt.
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It also comes with a parking ticket and fee for drivers, which often total over $100.
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“Even the Info-Neige app tells you when you can’t park, so there’s no excuse to leave your car on the street,” said Lavallée.
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Drivers who use the municipal lots say they’re the best kept parking “secrets.”
“When I know it’s going to snow, I just park here because, did you see the streets? It’s crazy,” said LaSalle resident Jane Dawsey.
“This is the only option we have is to park because we don’t want to be towed by the city,” said Richard Akinbobla, who was heading to work.
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More snow is in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.
To find out where you can park for free during snow removal in your borough, click here.