Bob CollinsFew people have ever really understood the rules for snow emergencies in Minneapolis (or Saint Paul). Nothing that the city tries ever seems to work. As every storm ebbs, the cash registers seem to overheat at the impound lot.
So, you’ve got to give Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak a little credit for resorting to prose verse to try to explain the rules.
Last night, he invoked Cupid to warn of the 8 a.m. start to plowing…
Since this is the week/To say je t’aime/Move her car off the even side/By 8 a.m./(Plowing on even side starts at 8 am)
— Mayor R.T. Rybak (@MayorRTRybak) February 11, 2013
And this afternoon, he invokes a papal inspiration
Snow’s winter’s gift/comes right from God/So by 8 am you’re a sinner/If a car’s on street that’s odd/(Plowing @ 8am on odd side of sts)
— Mayor R.T. Rybak (@MayorRTRybak) February 11, 2013
There’s a pretty good chance, though, that if you depend on poetic tweets, you’re going to get towed.
The city’s website notes that this is Day 2 of the snow emergency and here are the official rules:
Do not park on the EVEN side of non-Snow Emergency routes. (Example: house address number: 1356 Maple or 2512 17th Ave.)
Do not park on either side of parkways.
Park on the odd side of non-Snow Emergency Route streets (example: house address number 1359 Maple or 2513 17th Ave.).
Park on either side of streets with the red sign: Snow Emergency Route.
No parking on EVEN side of non-Snow Emergency routes
After a street is fully plowed, feel free to park there, even if Snow Emergency parking rules are still in effect. Fully plowed means the street is completely cleared and plowed as wide as possible. Plows may come through more than once, so make sure that it is fully plowed as wide as possible before parking.
Day 3 – 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
At 8 a.m., Day Three parking rules begin.
Do not park on the ODD side of non-Snow Emergency Route streets (example: house address number 1359 or 2513 17th Ave.).
Park on even side of non-Snow Emergency Route streets. (Example: house address number: 1356 Maple or 2512 17th Ave.)
Park on either side of streets marked with the red sign: Snow Emergency Route and you may park on parkways.
Snow Emergency Day 3: No parking on the ODD side of non-Snow Emergency routes.
After a street is fully plowed, feel free to park there, even if Snow Emergency parking rules are still in effect. Fully plowed means the street is completely cleared and plowed as wide as possible. Plows may come through more than once, so make sure that it is fully plowed as wide as possible before parking.
