Winnipeg issues 2,000 tickets as snow plowing continues

Winnipeg motorists are being reminded not to park on residential streets where city crews are slated to clear snow from last weekend's snowstorm.

City of Winnipeg officials say more than 2,000 parking tickets have been issued to date, and more than 780 vehicles have been towed.

More than 250 pieces of heavy equipment, including graders and front-end loaders, have been clearing snow around the city since the storm hit over the weekend.

Ken Boyd, the city's manager of streets maintenance, says several factors have made the snow-clearing operation a tough one to date, including drivers who park their cars on streets where plowing is scheduled to take place.

"We're still encountering a significant number of parked cars ... on the streets, so that's hampering our plowing operations a little bit," he said Wednesday.

Frigid temperatures and a heavy accumulation of snow and ice have forced crews to make several passes on some streets, Boyd said.

Wrong zone plowed

The residential snow-clearing parking ban splits the city into zones, with streets in each zone being plowed in a 12-hour period. To find out what zone you're in,you can go to the city's websiteor call 311.

Vehicles that are parked in a snow zone that is slated to be cleared will get a $150 ticket and may be towed to a nearby street.

But in one case, the city cleared streets in the wrong zone on Tuesday. Streets in Zone G were scheduled to be cleared on Wednesday, but some were cleared on Tuesday instead.

Officials say 38 people who were parked in Zone G received tickets as a result, but because the city wasn't supposed to plow there that night, the tickets will be ripped up.

The Winnipeg Parking Authority has already asked the Crown attorney's office to stay those tickets.

Boyd said anyone whose streets aren't cleared during their scheduled residential parking ban should call 311.

Plows will return to streets that still have snow on them once the full clearing cycle is complete, but no additional parking ban will be imposed then, he said.