Chicago winter overnight parking ban to begin this weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Be careful where you park at night in Chicago this weekend, as the city's winter overnight parking ban will go into effect Saturday night.
It happens every year, and every year drivers are caught off guard, with hundreds of cars getting towed on the first night of the ban.
Even if there is no snow on the ground, parking is banned between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. on 107 miles of the city's main streets between Dec. 1 and April 1, to make sure snow plows, CTA buses, and emergency vehicles can move freely on the city's busiest streets should snow start falling.
Signs warning drivers of the winter parking restrictions are posted on affected streets. City officials said flyers also are posted on cars parked on those streets ahead of the parking ban as an additional reminder.
"Having this consistent rule for overnight parking allows snow removal crews to plan and execute their operations more effectively, and we ask residents and visitors to please follow the posted parking restriction signs so critical routes can be fully salted and plowed during winter weather events," Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard said in a statement.
Cars parked on the impacted streets during the winter overnight parking ban will be towed, and the car's owner will face a $60 ticket, a $150 towing fee, and a $25 per day storage fee. Vehicles will be towed to one of two city impound lots – at 10301 S. Doty Av. or at 701 N. Sacramento Blvd.
In addition to the winter overnight parking ban, the city also bans parking on 500 miles of city streets when 2 or more inches of snow are expected. Although rarely activated, the 2-inch snow parking ban is aimed to help the city clear other main streets during heavier snowfalls. Cars parked on those streets when the 2-inch snow ban is implemented could be ticketed, or relocated to another street.
Chicagoans can visit shovels.chicago.gov for a map of streets impacted by the ban and to view the City's snow plows in real-time during a storm. Motorists can also call 311 to find out if their vehicle was towed due to the ban.