If residents don't clear the roads for the plows, towing is the only option the city has.
Hartford residents paid close attention to last week’s parking ban in the city, making it relatively easy for snow plows to do their work. But that’s not the case this time around.
The city’s parking ban went into effect on Sunday night at 11:00 pm. Deputy Chief Brian Foley was all over Twitter reminding people to move their cars.
But it didn’t really work.
HPD Needs your help!!! Please ask your friends and your neighbor clear room for our plows! Parking Ban at 11pm
— Brian Foley (@LtFoley) February 2, 2015
#HereWeGo #exact 6:30am- 365 cars towed/488 ticketed. Towing Op ongoing. Low compliance w/parking ban. #wedontwanttotowyourcar!!
— Brian Foley (@LtFoley) February 2, 2015
By early Monday, with the snow still falling, more than 400 cars had been towed, and 500 ticketed. That’s already higher than last week.
"I don’t know if it was the Super Bowl, if that was the distraction or what," Foley said. "But certainly we are not seeing the level of compliance we saw a week ago when the blizzard came through."
Foley said the lack of a travel ban this time around probably played a role. And even though there’s not as much accumulation with this storm, the city’s streets are already piled high with snow. "Now, with all the snowbanks," he said, "we needed compliance again with this storm, even more so, because we’re running out of places to put the snow with this storm. We did not see the compliance."
The police don’t want to tow cars, Foley said. But if residents don’t clear the roads for the plows, towing is the only option the city has.
The parking ban is in effect until 11:00 pm on Monday night.
UPDATE: The ban is now to be lifted at 6 p.m.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: The ban is now EXTENDED until Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
