Snow This Weekend: What You Need to Know About City Parking Ban

With the first significant snowstorm of the winter projected to hit this weekend, it's a good time for a refresher on Peabody's emergency parking ban.

Department of Public Services Director Bob Langley says there are no changes in the works since last year.
 
The annual winter-long parking ban was replaced last year with a temporary emergency ban that would be declared only when a snowstorm, flooding or other weather emergency was imminent.

Once the ban is called by DPS, parking is not allowed on the street. If you haven't done so yet, the police department suggests you try to make arrangements for alternate parking before the first ban.

Initial notification of the ban, as in other emergencies, is made via the blue lights around the city at key intersections, Nixle (email and text alerts), cable access TV, WBZ 1030 AM, Northshore 104.9 FM and the police department's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Once the blue lights are activated, tune your radio to 1640 AM for an automated message on the emergency.

Any vehicles left in the roadway after a ban is declared may be subject to a $50 fine and/or a tow.

Langley was initially hesitant to do away with the overnight ban, but he says by all accounts the new program "was pretty successful." Despite a blizzard and some major storms, the city didn't have to tow too many cars -- at most 15 in one early winter storm.

He said he hopes to keep towing to a minimum again this year -- police were proactive last time in issuing warnings prior to ticketing and towing -- and likewise hopes for public cooperation again with keeping vehicles off the street during a ban.

"We will try to get out notice in advance [of a storm]," he said, but again the city isn't committing to notification by any specific time.

Just as Langley tries to give residents as much notice as possible of an impending ban, he also wants to avoid false alarms if possible. New England weather is fickle if nothing else.

"The main [goal] is to increase public safety for all of us," he said.


If you're not signed up for Nixle alerts from the Peabody Police Department, you can register online here for both text and email notices.