Minneapolis Residents Brace For Winter Parking Restrictions

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The snow pileups are so bad in Minneapolis that the city is implementing a set of sweeping parking restrictions they haven't issued since 2014.

Starting Wednesday and extending through April 1, there will no parking at all on the even side of non-emergency streets. People can still park on both sides of snow emergency route streets.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, city officials said they have no choice but to impose restrictions because emergency vehicles have not been able to get through narrow streets.

"It is absolutely a life or death situation in many instances. For us, seconds, minutes can be critical depending on the situation," assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said.

Minneapolis' record amount of snow coupled with freezing temperatures has left giant piles of snow with little to no melt. Adding to that, the extended forecast shows no sign of a thaw anytime soon.

South Minneapolis resident Rachel Greenberg says it will be a big inconvenience because she does park on the street.

"I see both sides. I get that the roads are really narrow, but it will also make parking around here a lot harder," Greenberg said.

It's not just emergency vehicles that are having a tough time in the narrower streets. Body shops say they're seeing more sideswipes and broken mirrors.

"We are booking two or three weeks out," Paul Hagen, owner of Hagen's Auto Body shop said. "It's not just mirrors; we are seeing a lot of sideswipes. People are just going too fast down these narrow roads."

The new regulations barring parking on the even side of the street goes into effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Officials say that while the regulations are scheduled to remain in effect until April 1, they could be lifted before there if conditions improve.

For more information, visit the city's website.