Alternate Side Parking Begins

The City of Madison’s alternate side parking restrictions will begin at 1 a.m. on Tuesday November 15th. That means that City of Madison residents must park their cars on the odd house numbered side of the street tonight. “We realize that most people don’t think about winter parking rules until it snows,” Streets Division spokesperson George Dreckmann said. “However, our alternate side parking rules are in effect from November 15th until March 15th, regardless of weather conditions.” The alternate side parking rules are in effect seven days a week from 1 a.m. until 7 a.m. regardless of weather conditions for most of the City of Madison. Alternate side parking restrictions require that Madison residents park on the odd house numbered side of the street between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on odd numbered days and on the even house numbered side of the street between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on even numbered days. The only area where the rules are not in effect every day is the Downtown/Isthmus Snow Emergency Zone. The Snow Emergency Zone extends from Park and Proudfit Streets on the south and west to Thorton Avenue and the Yahara River on the north and from Lake Mendota to Lake Monona. In this area, alternate side parking rules are only in effect during a declared snow emergency. “Violations of the alternate side parking ordinance are punishable by fines of $10 for most of the city and $20 in the Snow Emergency Zone,” Dreckmann said. “To avoid fines people should park their cars on the proper side of the streets. Residents should also remove seldom used vehicles, boats and other trailers from the streets now to avoid fines.” Winter parking information is available by calling 261-9111 and on the City’s web site, http://www.cityofmadison.com/streets/winterparking.html .As part of the public information program, residents can sign up to receive an e-mail notice whenever a snow emergency is declared by going to the winter parking web page. “The alternate side parking ordinance is designed to help the Streets Division get our streets cleared as fast and safely as possible during snow and ice conditions,” Dreckmann said. “By following the rules Madison residents will avoid tickets and help us get our plowing operations done as quickly and effectively as possible.”