Minneapolis Winter Parking Restrictions Begin Friday

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Finding street parking in Minneapolis is about to get a whole lot tougher.

Thanks to our weekend blizzard the city is making some big changes, all in the name of safety.

Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, cars parked on both sides of the street will be a thing of the past.

The city is restricting parking to just one side of the street to ensure public safety crews can safely and swiftly reach every home and business in the city.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Susie Jones Reports

The Minneapolis fire department allowed cameras inside one of their trucks Thursday afternoon to show how tough it is to get through the majority of city side streets.

"It's our worst nightmare, because it can severely impact our response time," said Minneapolis Fire Chief Alex Jackson.

Fire trucks are 8.5-feet wide, but need at least 12 feet of street width when they arrive at an emergency, so firefighters can open compartment doors on the trucks to get out their tools and equipment.

Beginning Friday morning, drivers parking in Minneapolis will not be able to park on the even-numbered side of non-snow emergency routes.

Parking is allowed, however, on both sides of snow emergency routes and parkways and on the odd side of non-snow emergency routes, unless otherwise posted (and provided a snow emergency has not been declared). Drivers who don't follow winter parking restrictions could be ticketed or towed.

"We understand that Winter Parking Restrictions pose a challenge to drivers, particularly those who live in higher-density neighborhoods," Mayor R.T. Rybak said in the city's release. "However, making our city safe for residents and visitors is the most important responsibility we have. If someone needs help, we must make sure that police officers, firefighters, medics and any other emergency responders can come to their aid."

WCCO-TV's Amelia Santaniello Reports