Increased Snowfall Has Some Philadelphians Scrambling To Understand Snow Emergency Parking Rules
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's an art form in Philadelphia, parking or saving a parking spot when it snows. You're not supposed to "save a space," but many residents use chairs, traffic cones, whatever they can to save their shoveled-put space. So what are the real rules about parking and those snow emergency routes?
It's been years since the region has seen the amount of snowfall it's been hit with this winter, and certain parking rules have sent some Philadelphians scrambling to find their vehicles.
The city has been fielding a number of calls from frustrated drivers.
"I would have had absolutely no issue moving my car if I had known that I needed to," Susan Field of South Philadelphia said.
After last week's snowstorm, Field woke up to her car missing from in front of her South Philly home.
"I do what I'm told to do and I follow the rules but I just didn't know those were the rules. So, I was like if I had just been given some kind of notification, I would have moved my car, not a problem and all of this would have been avoided," Field said.
A snow emergency had been declared. Just like Girard, Lincoln and Kelly Drives, the entire Broad Street strip is an emergency route.
"They're usually no more than a day or two but to your point, that first one we had seemed to lag on for two or three days and the snow just kept coming," Philadelphia Parking Authority Executive Director Scott Petri said.
Once the mayor declares a snow emergency, a courtesy tow won't send your vehicle to a yard. Instead, it relocates it within a five- to 10-block radius, but that also comes with a number of tickets.
"The first time I called, they told me that they didn't know where it was but I could walk in a three-block radius either direction. And I did that, didn't find my car. So I called back again and they actually did tell me the exact location," Field said.
Field is only one of many people unsure of what to do. One of her neighbors may need to request a hearing after his car was dumped in an illegal spot.
"They should call in or email in or the like and we can follow up on those that he is able to show administratively are problematic," Petri said.
You can sign up for notifications via the city's Office of Emergency Management by texting 888-777, or you can follow them on Twitter (@PhilaOEM) or Facebook.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority's website features frequently asked questions about booted and towed vehicles. You can find that by clicking here. You can follow them on Twitter (@PhilaParking) or Facebook.
Other helpful resources include @Philly311 and the Streets Department.
