Winter is Here -- District 13 Updates on Snow Emergency Zone

"Winter is coming."

No, silly, it's already here, with snow and frigid temps earlier than expected. I'm not a fan, but it's here and we have to deal with it, so stoke up those wood stoves, get out the wool socks and the long johns, and enjoy it because this is us for the next several months.

Meanwhile, there are changes for some of you in the district, so please pay attention and help spread the word.

Alternate Side Parking Begins November 15 at 1am. 

The City of Madison's alternate side parking restrictions begin at 1 a.m. on Friday, November 15th. 

Alternate side parking is in effect from November 15 to March 15 for the entire City of Madison, except for those in the Snow Emergency Zone.  

The Snow Emergency Zone has expanded for the winter of 2019 and 2020, and now includes residents in Bay Creek as well as Vilas, Greenbush and Monona Bay.  This means residents in these neighborhoods do not have to abide by alternate street parking except on declared snow emergencies.  

Here's the tricky part --- that the specific parking restrictions in Bay Creek that were imposed in the summer for the purpose of street cleaning (to protect our lakes) are now year around.  In other words, Bay Creek residents who minded the no parking signs for a four-hour period once a week up until November 15 will NOW BE REQUIRED to abide by that same restriction year around.  

In summary, Streets that are north of Wingra Creek and have a May to November weekly 4-hour parking prohibition will now have these weekly restrictions in place year-round. These streets will now be part of the Snow Emergency Zone. Streets that already have the year-round 4-hour parking restrictions will also be part of the snow emergency zone.

This allows street plows to clear snow and ice all the way to the curb once a week along these dedicated routes.

For Dudgeon-Monroe residents, please be reminded that alternate side parking rules will be enforced outside from 1am to 7am seven days a week regardless of weather conditions.

Snow Emergency Zone Information Redux

Just to make it 100% clear....For the winter of 2019/2020, the Snow Emergency Zone has expanded. A map of the new snow emergency zone area can be found on the City of Madison Winter website.

In this area of Madison, alternate side parking is only enforced during declared snow emergencies.

Residents who park their vehicles on the street within the Snow Emergency Zone are strongly encouraged to sign up to receive email and text message alerts regarding snow emergency declarations at the City of Madison Winter website.

Alternate Side Parking Rules

Vehicles parked on the street should be parked on the odd house numbered side of the street between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on odd numbered dates.

Vehicles should be parked on the even house numbered side of the street between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on even numbered dates.

Violations of the alternate side parking ordinance are punishable by fines of $20.  The fine increases to $60 during a declared Snow Emergency.

Be sure to continue following all other parking restrictions while also following alternate side parking rules.

Additional Information

Residents are encouraged to plan ahead when parking their vehicle on the street for the evening to be in compliance with the alternate side rules. The Streets Division also recommends that residents remove seldom used vehicles, boats, and other trailers from the streets to avoid fines and help with plowing operations.

More detailed information regarding winter parking rules is available on the City's winter web site, www.cityofmadison.com/winter.  Winter parking updates can also be obtained by calling the winter parking hotline at 608-261-9111.

On the city's winter website, besides signing up to receive text and/or email alerts regarding declared snow emergencies, residents can also sign up to receive Snow Plow Update e-mails that will detail the Streets Division's operations in response to snow events.

Other useful winter information, such as information about salt use, locations for free sand to use on sidewalks, or tips on how to bicycle in the winter, and more are all available at www.cityofmadison.com/winter.

Lastly, it's hard on many of us when winter starts. Look out for your neighbors. Offer to shovel for your neighbors who can't. Be careful when driving, go slow and watch for pedestrians and bicyclists. Do snow angels, get your winter exercise by taking walks -- I'm a big fan of Forest Hill Cemetery for this -- feed the birds, cook up some hot soup, sip some hot tea, and grin and bear it until spring comes again.

Cheers!