With numerous winter storms already working their way through Ann Arbor in the past two months, questions have arisen regarding parking on the streets during and after the snow has come. The city has declared there to be three types of snowfalls: light, heavy and snow emergency. During a light snow of up to four inches, parking is not affected. Once a heavy snow of greater than four inches occurs, all salt and plow trucks are utilized to clear the streets of the city. Car owners are encouraged to remove their vehicles from the street so that they are not plowed in and so workers can do an adequate job of removing the snow. However, it is not required that they be removed from the streets, during a heavy snow event.
The only time that parking restrictions are put into effect is during a Snow Emergency, which must be declared by the city administrator. It is during these times that cars will be put on an odd/even schedule. This means that on certain days, cars will only be allowed to park on a certain side of the street. These rules do not apply during the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight so that residents can move their cars to comply with the next day’s schedule. Cars not in compliance during a Snow Emergency will be ticketed and towed. Residents are welcomed to call the Snow Desk at 734.794.6367 as well as look at the Ann Arbor Snow Removal Webpage for updates and more information.
Contributed by Jonathan Bickmann