I would suggest following up with the Department of Public Works with your suggestions. Call them up and explain this plan as well as refer to this SCF issue #.

please don't encourage them to tow.... Many of us with on-street parking can't keep up with these crazy DPW schedules due to our busy work schedules.

Also, I have heard in some cities up North, that the tow companies/"PublicWorks" just MOVE the car if it is in the way (at a particular moment in time) during a snow emergency... You have to go find your car after the storm but at least it has not been stolen (It could be a block or two away or maybe up the street).

Sorry Flax, but thats a cop out. I park on street too and I work as well. This works great in my home state and very few have to get towed. If you follow the rules, which will be simple to understand when put into place, then there should be no problem. Where I come from they publically open church parking lots, public school parking lots and city owned parking lots for people to freely park there when there is a ban put into place. Shuttles run to help people get to and from their cars all hours of the day during the storm. Parking bans are put into place from 9pm to 7am weekdays and 9pm to 8am weekends. Look, its New England and something has to give to make this a better solution. To move the car is an added expense that the city should not have to incur. I agree with the tow-away if one cant abide by the rules. And you know people-in-general here in CT...people will just take advantage of this and abuse it, never following the rules and making it the cities responsibility to move their car. This is a simple and very EASY solution and has been proven to work for a very busy city similar to New Haven.

Agreed. In New Haven, however, we have an obviously corrupt alliance between the crooked tow companies and the crooked police. :) I'm with ya, E, but I think there should be a more compassionate and friendly "We're all in this together" attitude when it comes to a snow emergency. Call me crazy. We should combine the ideas so far in this thread. Most certainly, Church parking lots should be open on these days.... And it should be advertised VERY CLEARLY as to what the rules and regulations are when it comes to towing said cars the next morning. I have a busy work schedule and I am mentally handicapped... I need very clear instructions!!!

Those are some awesome ideas! I hope the DPW listens to you.

I come from a climate where most years the snow never really sticks, so this whole notion of waking up the next morning to find that the government has somehow magically cleared and salted all the streets is totally foreign to me. (Plowing streets is a huge waste of time in climates where it inevitably melts on its own by the afternoon). What I find most strange is how people will on one day preach small government and then the next day expect the government to possess a God-like omnipotence when it comes to plowing every last street in every corner of the city. Does anyone else see a contradiction there, or is it just me?

I lived in Vermont for many years and we never had the trouble I am suffering with on Barnett Street in Westville. Still NO help from the city or the neighbors taking responsibility for their little bit of sidewalk. I am one street over from McKinley Ave, which is where I park because it is beautifully maintained...Can't understand why the city refuses to come one street over & care for us this way? We now have the illegal parking problem because of the lack of help from the city. Of course, the police are too busy to ticket and make an effort to tow cars covered in snow in illegal parking spots. Montreal has a wonderful removal system, too! They have parking meters up against the buildings and very wide sidewalks so the plow can easily push all the snow here & make it safe.

These are good ideas, but would take some time and money to implement correctly and monitor.

I'm guessing that the staff capacity is limited to do this, but could be wrong - have you tried talking with the Public Works department? If nothing is moving at the moment, it could be worth setting up an Aldermanic working group to develop a plan to implement these sorts of systems (and find out if it is within the city's current capacity).

:::rolls eyes:::: Yes, Churches are private property but that doesnt mean that we cant use the parking lots from 9pm to 7am during a major storm. This is NOT a problem in my home town. Churches are gracious enough to follow suit. I mean really - they are empty spots that wont be used during a 'major storm' when a parking ban is put into place. Seriously! Come on! This is all you got Ginger? How about adding to the solution instead of trying to stomp on it. Ditto for you Ben. This is supposed to be a productive thread to HELP! As for implementing - there really is no extra "staffing" or "money needed". Its about the citizens getting the cars off the road so the plows can do their jobs....which they are already trying to do when they are out and about. How can they plow with cars on the streets? When there is a need for a ban, the news stations take over as well as the radio stations to notify the public.

I stand corrected - yes, the extra funds would be needed to supply shuttles or pay for free bus fare.

Churches are churches - usually run by good people who serve God and will understand the need. I mean for heavens sake - its an empty parking lot! We arent talking about invading their buildings here! It is sensible - even if you disagree!

I still think there should be no monetary value attached to a car being towed due to snow.... the car incurs slight damage due to tow, and the city benefits from car being moved at that point in time.

Pull the churches in for a meeting, get their cooperation and move forward. It's not that hard and time for City Hall to show some leadership on this issue. The condition on these side streets, from Westville, East Rock and all the others are shameful. The most basic service the city provides is street cleaning in snow storms. That these conditions continue is unacceptable. Where's the mayor? On vacation? Reading some of these posts and riding through the city, one would think New Haven has been magically transported to the NE, home of snow. The bottom line is that the last couple of years, the city has gotten very sloppy with snow plowing, barely cleaning the streets and hoping for a big melt. Is it not time to re-visit snowplowing policy and find ways to do it better? Throwing hands in the air saying we don't do it that way here is lame.

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Jernell is trollin... Saint Joseph's lot is not even that big. And they already give a good number of spots to the Beers clinic next door.

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Lets see what results from this storm now that we got old snow mounds that have turned hard. Com'on CoNH - do it right this time.

Snow issue. Please report again by SCF or call 203-946-7700 if issue happens again in future winter.