Montpelier Winter Parking: Parking Ban changed!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Parking Ban changed!

Well, amazingly, Montpelier has changed the winter parking ban, as of November 2014, about 7 years after I created this blog.

Similar to the other cities referenced in this blog, Montpelier will now "declare" a snow emergency when parking is prohibited on the streets. Some streets have also been selected for no-parking throughout the winter.

Here is a copy of the 2-page notice that the City provided to residents:

I wonder what role this blog may have played in this ordinance change. I may never know. It's been sitting here quietly for 7 years. In 2012 a newspaper reporter contacted me about a newspaper article she was writing about the parking ban. This blog has received occasional hits including 28 last month, perhaps from some of the City Council members who voted recently to change the ordinance.

However it happened, I am glad Montpelier is going to try something new.

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About This Site

Currently, Montpelier, VT has a WINTER OVERNIGHT PARKING BAN. No overnight parking from Nov 15 through Apr 1, regardless of weather.

There is interest in changing to a SNOW PARKING BAN system to prohibit parking only when snowing or a strong forecast of snow.

Several other cities have snow-based parking bans, in Vermont and beyond. This website provides information on their processes and ordinances for discussion, and provides a forum for developing a new ordinance for Montpelier.

Please feel free to add your thoughts in the Comments section after each post!

Why switch to a snow parking ban?

A snow parking ban would still get cars off the street when truly needed.
Allowing year round on-street parking allows city lots to be unpaved and available for gardens or green space.
Increased green space reduces stormwater runoff, filters pollutants from stormwater, and decreases the likelihood of flooding due to rainstorms.
Many families have one-lane driveways where one car must be parked behind the other. The overnight parking ban leads to car shuffle games, and extra pollution from starting cold engines.
Some small city lots do not have enough parking spaces, so that people end up parking on their lawns. It's better to park on the lawn a few times a winter (when snowing), than all winter.
Lack of parking spaces may prevent the addition of accessory apartments, which the City encourages.

Becka's philosophy on street parking

In dense city neighborhoods, residents should not have to use their small lots for parking -- gardens and green space are important to the livability of the community. Some on-street parking is also good, because it slows drivers down, particularly in residential neighborhoods.

However, I generally believe that streets should be used for transportation. Bike lanes and bus stops are better uses of our public right of ways than parking. Outside of the downtown area, the city should consider allowing parking only on one side of the street in order to provide space for bicycle lanes. This is particularly true on arterial streets such as Elm Street, Main Street, Barre Street, and State Street -- and may be a good policy for neighborhood streets as well.

In the downtown area, parking on streets should be permitted as it is vital to the downtown businesses. However, downtown employees should not use the metered parking which is provided for the benefit of shoppers and others who are doing short-term business in the city. Ideally, downtown businesses would also use private parking lots for short-term parking, instead of employee parking. I would like to see better enforcement of 2-hour parking limit (regardless of meter feeding) along with promotional and incentive programs to encourage employees to walk, bike, or take transit to work -- or to park outside of downtown.

Becka Roolf is a transportation consultant focusing on walking, bicycling, and other "green" transportation. http://www.goinggreenvt.com

Montpelier Winter Parking