METHUEN — As the East Coast prepares for freezing temperatures and a lot of shoveling, city residents and visitors will need to be extra careful with their parking.
While there has been some confusion regarding whether or not the new winter parking regulations that bump up fines from $25 to $100 are in effect, Police Chief Scott McNamara said the changes will be fully enforced during this weekend’s storm.
“You have to get your cars off the road,” Linda Soucy, founder of community group MAN Inc. and advocate for the increased fines, said. “It’s a public safety issue.”
The ban, called for by Mayor D.J. Beauregard in light of the predicted storm, will take effect Sunday at noon.
“This declaration activates our brand-new winter parking ban ordinance, designed to ensure safer, faster street clearing during snow events,” McNamara said. “Adequate plowing of our city streets is a prevailing public safety concern—we must be able to reach residents who may need emergency services quickly and reliably.”
Secondary offenses will now also net residents a $200 fine.
The changes follow growing frustration from officials, law enforcement and many residents over flaunting of the city’s previous ban. McNamara said the $25 had not been high enough to dissuade parking scofflaws.
He described a recent storm where officers handed out more than 400 tickets over a two-day span due to the ban, which previously was only in effect from 1 to 6 a.m.
“This was the maximum our available personnel could achieve in those limited hours, all while continuing to respond to other priority calls for service and public safety needs,” McNamara said.
Under the new changes, the parking ban will only be in effect during “declared snow emergencies,” McNamara said.
There is also a new 48-hour post-emergency rule requiring vehicles on public roadways be moved or cleared of snow and ice, or else face ticketing or towing.
“Tickets get paid eventually, but the streets remain clogged during critical clearing periods, delaying plows and risking delays for emergencies or residents,” McNamara said. “We simply do not have the capacity to tow large numbers of vehicles as an alternative either.”
However, alongside the stiffer fines the city is offering up alternate parking areas during the ban including at Pelham Street Park and Ride, 144 Pelham St.; Neil Playstead Ballfields, 188 Lawrence St.; the municipal parking lot on Lawrence Street; the municipal parking lots at Hampshire Street and Lowell Street; and at the Methuen High School Stadium, 49 Pleasant View St.
Residents will also be asked to move their cars from these lots within 4 hours of the end of the ban.
On a social media post police said they believe the ban will be lifted at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
“I encourage residents to stay home if possible, stay safe, and allow DPW crews the space they need to keep streets clear,” Beauregard said. “Remember to check in on elderly neighbors and anyone who may need extra help during the storm.”
Problems with snow removal or plowing should be directed to the Department of Public Works at 978-983-8865.
Due to the storm, trash and recycling pickup will be delayed a day.
“The goal here isn’t revenue,” McNamara said. “It’s shifting the decision-making so that moving the car becomes the obvious, preferable choice for the vast majority during snow events.”