Calgary's snow route parking ban ends early as 1,898 tickets issued

Calgary's snow route parking ban comes to an end at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The city said it has finished clearing Priority 2 streets, which include collector roads, major community access streets and bus routes.

"Right now, there is snow happening around the city so our crews will be going back to focus on those Priority 1 routes while the snow continues," said Calgary Roads spokesperson Chris McGeachy, adding that the snow was expected to continue overnight.

He said multiple smaller accumulations of snow paired with frigid temperatures meant crews had to go over the same routes multiple times to ensure they were clear. That caused the parking ban to last longer than most, but it will still end earlier than the 72 hours it was called for. More than 10 centimetres of snow fell over the weekend.

The city's seven-day snow clearing plan will see crews now move to residential routes, where they'll target ruts and lay down sand and gravel.

Some Calgarians had raised concerns on social media about windrows blocking driveways and sidewalks, something McGeachy said people should deal with on their own if they can.

"If citizens do find a windrow that's been created from this work is too difficult to deal with, they can call 311. But they're really welcome to knock them down of their own accord," he said.

Vehicles only towed if safety risk

Ben Pisch, the Calgary Parking Authority's enforcement co-ordinator, said that as of noon Wednesday, a total of 1,898 tickets had been issued, but no vehicles were towed.

Pisch said vehicles are towed only if they pose a safety risk as it's a labour-intensive response.

The average number of tickets handed out during a ban is more than 2,000. Pisch said higher fines and greater awareness have led to more people complying with the ban.

This year, fines for parking on prohibited routes — marked by a blue sign with a snowflake — increased to $120.