Snow emergency, move cars to EVEN side by 2 pm Saturday (Somerville)

[ron_newman]

Hello, this is [Somerville] Mayor Joe Curtatone with important snow emergency information for Saturday, January 7.

Based on current weather forecasts, the City is declaring a snow emergency to go into effect at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, January 7th. Beginning at 10 a.m., cars will have 4 hours to move to the EVEN side of the street (unless signage on your streets says otherwise), or into a municipal or school parking lot. Again, as a reminder, this is the first winter season where cars must park on the EVEN SIDE of the street (unless otherwise posted). Ticketing and towing will begin at approximately 2 p.m. on Saturday for cars who are not moved to the correct side of the street. Please review posted signage on your street in advance. For more information, please visit http://somervillema.gov/snow or contact 311.

At this time, all recreation and school programming planned for Saturday will continue as planned, and all three branches of the library will remain open. Trash pickup scheduled for Saturday due to this week’s holiday delay will continue as normal.

Thank you as always for your cooperation and patience during this winter season.

Comments

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

French Toast Alert is HIGH. Repeat: HIGH.

CURRENT FRENCH TOAST ALERT LEVEL: HIGH -- http://bit.ly/TCvh

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

I'm curious about people's experience with the "park even snow season". There's been debate about this before here. Personally, I was very psyched. We are on the odd side, and didn't have to do 6 extra feet of shoveling beyond the curb like we used to do.

I don't doubt that other people will have different experiences with this, but I'm just glad that it seems at least fair now.

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

I was looking forward to this, as well, since I'm an odd-sider myself. I also think switching each year makes it more fair for everyone. However, it seems many of the newbies to the city didn't realize they needed to move their cars at all, so several cars were left on the odd side for the weekend (including right in front of our place) so the plows couldn't get remotely close to the curb.

Fortunately the city was out and ticketing, so these residents will hopefully learn before the next storm. Not that I celebrate tickets being handed out, but it's also so so easy to figure out the city's rules so there really isn't an excuse.

And just to head off comments along these lines, I don't know which cars belong to which apartments, so I couldn't have neighborly warned them. I just assume they are newbies since they didn't heed the Mayor's call.

[ron_newman]

The city ticketed but didn't tow? That won't help very much.

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

Yah, we had someone up a ways who didn't hear either. But it didn't affect us. As far as I know they didn't tow.

Interesting side-note on the call though: I've been on the city's message system for however long we've had it now. My upstairs housemate got both calls--the evening before, and the day of. I didn't get either. I told 311, and they opened a ticket for me. Not sure what happened.

[sarahx.livejournal.com]

They towed a couple of cars on Chandler/Chapel at 10.30pm on Saturday evening, having ticketed earlier in the day.

[pukwudgie.livejournal.com]

I'm on the even side and was also thrilled because I didn't have to shovel the slushy plow snow. Seems to me like whichever kind of shoveling you like best switching every year is a good way to keep it balanced.