After our last storm and with another one possibly approaching, it is worth reminding everyone that for all snow alerts in the borough, vehicles must be moved to the proper side of the street otherwise they run the risk of being ticketed and — in the event a plow cannot maneuver around a vehicle — towed. Throughout the last storm, hundreds of vehicles were left on the wrong side of the street, making plowing and snow removal much more difficult across our community.
Historically, non-compliance with the snow alert parking ordinance has been poor. Many residents are uninterested in moving their vehicle to a further away location and would rather receive the ticket and dig out the next day. That is a choice each resident has, however, it makes the whole process of plowing more complicated for everyone.
I understand finding a parking location can be challenging during snow alerts, especially on some of the narrower streets in the borough. But, if we want clearer roads, vehicles must be moved to the proper side of the street.
Last year, to help alleviate this problem, the borough coordinated with SEPTA to open their parking garage to overnight parking for residents to give people a place to park while snow was removed. This is something we can attempt again if SEPTA is amenable to help make the process more convenient for residents. Additionally, based on the volume of vehicles that were ticketed in the most recent storm, borough police are going to review our snow alert announcement communication and make sure it is casting a wide enough net so that residents are notified of the alert and the need to move their vehicles.
The fastest way to receive snow alert notification is by signing up for either an email or RSS (mobile) notification. As soon as the alert is issued, and when it has ended, anyone signed up will be notified. Additionally, snow alert warnings are always posted on the front page of our borough website (www.lansdale.org) and on social media several hours prior to the alert going into effect.
As a last-ditch effort, officers do try to alert people if they are parked on the wrong side of the road. Often officers will knock on neighboring doors to see if they can find the owner of the vehicle and ask them to move it before issuing a ticket. This process will continue to be encouraged because it helps moves vehicles to the proper side of the road and makes plowing easier. However, as you may suspect, officers are extremely busy during weather events and cannot dedicate their entire evening to this effort. The best way to avoid a ticket is to move your vehicle before the snow alert goes into effect.
Again, I recognize how irritating this process can be and how frustrating it is to find a proper parking spot. However, this process allows us to quickly clear the streets of snow and maintains the safety of the borough during the event itself.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: COVID-19 Testing Site Returning to Lansdale
Mayoral Musings: Revisiting the Vacancy Tax Discussion
Mayoral Musings: Lack of Local Data Makes Omicron Surge Tougher to Navigate
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Mayoral Musings: Stay Safe This Christmas Week
