The City of Edmonton has declared a Phase 2 parking ban starting Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.
Phase 2 bans mean the city will start tackling residential and industrial roads. The city said the ban is expected to last up to four weeks.
During the ban, Edmontonians can park on any road that has already been cleared if parking is normally allowed there, including roads with “Seasonal No Parking” signs.
There are also alternative parking lots throughout the city at libraries, parks and other city-owned facilities with excess parking, which can be viewed on the city’s website.
Residents cannot park on residential and industrial roads until they have been cleared. The city also does not allow parking in residential alleys during the ban.
Once the road has been cleared, drivers can park there — Edmontonians don’t have to wait for the city to end the ban before parking on a cleared road.
Those parked on a road that is under a parking ban could receive a $250 ticket and have their vehicle towed to the nearest cleared road in their neighbourhood.
The city has been putting off the grooming of residential roads because of unseasonably warm temperatures. Val Dacyk, general supervisor of infrastructure field operations, said sending out the city’s heavy equipment into soft snow would lead to ruts, windrows and even worse driving conditions.
Higher temperatures are still expected for at least a few days; however, there has been enough frustration around the state of the residential roads in the city that crews will begin clearing with more “small equipment,” targeting driveways, public pedestrian access and catch basins while temperatures remain higher than average.
“We anticipate temperatures to drop next week, which will allow us to better smooth out ruts and maintain a five-centimetre snowpack in neighbourhoods,” said Dacyk.
Signage will be up at the entrance to neighbourhoods informing residents of the parking ban at least 24 hours before it goes into effect. Neighbourhoods will be under the ban for 24 to 72 hours.
“My office has been hearing from residents — there’s a frustration that residential streets are impassable in some cases and because of the temperature rising, it has caused those slushy conditions,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi at a media availability Monday.
“We need to do better. Our administration needs to do better,” said Sohi.
Sohi said the city will experience more frequent temperature swings in the coming years due to climate change and the city’s policy and practices around snow clearing needs to adapt.