On November 1, the City’s overnight parking restrictions take effect. Vehicles may not be parked on city streets or certain areas of city parking lots between the hours of 2:30 am and 6:00 am. This restriction lasts through the end of April.
“It is our understanding the Common Council enacted the ordinance to ensure the snow plows have the ability to clear snow from all of our roadways in an effective and efficient manner,” said Lt Dennis Keffer, Marshfield Police Department. “There was a change in recent years from this restriction being in place year-round, to ensure the street sweepers had a similar access to the roadway. Now it is only in effect during the winter months.”
To better eliminate violations in the event of a snow emergency, the ordinance applies every night- even where there is no snow to be plowed.
“History has shown us that decreased enforcement of this ordinance results in a greater number of violations when the plows need to be clearing our roads,” said Keffer. “It is easier to achieve the desired goal with relatively consistent enforcement over time.”
Keffer and the department are hoping to educate everyone about the ordinance to prevent having to give tickets.
“The department works to educate the community regarding the ordinance through press releases, Facebook posts, and the use of warnings at times,” he said. “We very much prefer to have voluntary compliance with the ordinance, so we do not have to write any parking tickets.”
