What you need to know about Winnipeg’s upcoming winter route parking ban

A file image of a snow route sign in Winnipeg. (CTV News Winnipeg)

Despite the weekend’s snowfall, Winnipeg’s manager of street maintenance said there is still not enough of the white stuff to get the plows out.

Michael Cantor said in an interview with CTV Morning Live Winnipeg on Monday the city’s policy to trigger plows on most streets and sidewalks is five centimetres of snow.

“We’ll wait for that. We got a few skiffs, mainly affecting our icy roads,” he said.

Still, that lack of snow will not prevent the city’s annual winter route parking ban from coming into effect overnight Friday.

Once the ban begins, parking is prohibited from 2 a.m. until 7 a.m. on designated streets.

While Winnipeg’s snow levels remain relatively modest, Cantor said there is other work for city crews to do, namely with ice control.

“More sanding and salting. Based on the temperatures, we can salt if the temperatures are higher than -7 C. Right now, it’s colder than that, so we mainly use sand.”

Cantor also reminded the public the ban is not weather-event dependent, and you cannot park on designated routes during designated hours every day starting Dec. 6.

This includes times when it is not snowing, even if it looks like your street has been recently cleared.

There is an exception, thanks to a bylaw change made last year. The winter route parking ban will now be lifted when a residential parking ban is in effect. It will be lifted for the duration of residential plowing.

“That will allow them more parking opportunities, which will help us to have clearer residential streets so we can plow them better,” Cantor explained.

Vehicles found parking in violation of the ban will receive a $100 ticket, $75 if paid early. They may also be towed to the towing company’s compound.

Winnipeggers can find out if the ban applies to their address or location by downloading the Know Your Zone app, searching the city’s new interactive snow map, which shows real-time information about parking bans and snow-clearing operations, or by contacting 311.

The ban will remain in effect until weather conditions no longer require it.

- With files from CTV's Rachel Lagacé