With all that white stuff hitting the Chicagoland area the past several hours, it will certainly have an effect on driving and parking.
Avoid Overnight Parking On Major Streets
Chicagoans should be on alert for the city to call for a 2″ ban on all major thoroughfares.
The odds are against it as, despite the 2″ designation on the signs, and the fact that more than 2″ of snow has already covered the ground, Streets & Sanitation rarely triggers the ban. In fact, no 2″ ban was initiated the previous two winters according to Streets & Sanitation spokesperson Matt Smith.
However, we strongly advise you not to avoid parking overnight on major thoroughfares, or for prolonged period of times during daytime hours.
The reasons are two-fold.
First, reports of cars being ticketed for violating the 2″ rule have been coming in, despite the fact the city did not issue the ban. One assumes poorly trained ticket writers are writing these improper violations.
Second, fast moving snow plows could leave your parked car locked in a glacier of snow and give you a real workout to clean it off.
Garages, parking lots and of course, side streets are much safer during large scale snowfalls like this.
Suburban Parking Bans
While Chicago hasn’t issued a parking ban, two of Chicago’s suburban neighbors to the north, have announced bans in their towns.
According to the Evanston Review newspaper, Evanston has a ban on parking on all primary arterial streets Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Violators of the ban will face a $50 ticket.
Then on Wednesday and Thursday, snow emergency regulations kick in. Motorists parked on residential streets will have to move their cars from the even side of the street on Wednesday and from the odd side of the street on Thursday. Emergency sirens will go off at 7:15 AM and 12:15 PM to remind residents.
Violating this regulation could cost you $100 for the ticket and the tow.
Then, according to the Wilmette Life newspaper, Wilmette has also announced a parking ban that prohibits parking on both sides of any village streets. The ban lifts 24 hours after the snow stops, which is most likely early Thursday morning.
Challenging Rush Hour Expected Wednesday Morning
While Chicago has their entire fleet of 275 snow plows on the streets, and all 360 IDOT trucks are clearing area expressways, expect dramatically slower than normal commuting times Wednesday.
That’s because the snow is not expected to stop until sometime during the morning rush hour.
Expect side streets to remain unplowed and difficult to traverse until well after the snow ends, when plows can move from clearing main arterial streets.
Remember to slow down and drive safely.
Junk To Invade Residential Streets?
Don’t be surprised to see an influx of plastic patio chairs, orange safety cones, lengths of two by fours and other crazy crap onto residential streets all over Chicago.
It usually takes a storm of this magnitude to give a reason for the hillbilly and/or intellectually challenged element in this city to drag out their crap onto the street to “reserve” parking spots they shoveled out.
Don’t embarrass yourself.
Say “NO!” to street junk.
Posted in 
Yup, already saw the hillybillies this morning. Someone on N Winchester put out a cardboard banker’s box and some gardening tools. Not even their good plastic furniture!
In all seriousness though I am not complaining. Wouldn’t want to be an East Coaster today.
So, if one does get a ticket even when the city hasn’t issued a ban, is there grounds for dismissal?
Ah, what fun to have a rear wheel drive car. You can get it to go sideways and rotate on purpose to maneuver into a parking space. It’s like maneuvering a helicopter. In my area, no parking space protectors… yet!
I discovered theexpiredmeter and PTG last year because of an entry about people and their stupid placeholders. It is such a pet peeve of mine. Just like your elementary school lunchroom, there is no saving places on Chicago streets.
I enjoy going down my street and chucking all of the placeholders into the snow.
If people persist, I confiscate their stuff (don’t worry, my car is safely parked elsewhere).
Last year I gained a much-needed snow shovel and many milk crates, which I used to organize my utility closet.
Lindsay….
Department of Revenue has not (so far this winter) issued/enforced for the “No Parking when more than 2″ of snow” ban signs.
9-64-070: Snow Route: 2″ of Snow or More.
While it is something that can be done by DOR staff…it is a rarity due to the fact that our Directors are a bunch of spineless assholes that wanted to work in a social club but couldn’t get hired due to personality disorders.
CPD and Streets & Sanitation Ward Supervisors are in charge of dealing with that particular code.
I tell people to call 3-1-1 and ask the Operator to find out if the ban is being enforced.
If you caught a ticket for it…I don’t know what to tell you other than to contest it. My understanding is that Due and proper notice must be given for a Snow Route Ban due to accumulation of Snow…but 1 single announcement over a Radio Station or posting it on a S&S or CPD web page is considered Due and Proper Notice by the admin staff at 400 W Superior (Parking Ticket court)
DOREmployee that’s all well and good but how many times a day are we supposed to call 311 to find out? It seems this can go into effect at any time and if you happen to miss out on the announcement you’re screwed, which figures. Wouldn’t checking online at the local channel affiliates website or watching tv be enough? They can’t decide at 2am and be out there at 5am writing tickets can they?
Actually they can.
Okay, I’ll admit to being slightly confused about what exactly it is that people hate about the space saving thing. So far, what I mainly see here is people complaining about the type of space saver being used, and not saying anything at all about the practice of space saving itself.
So, if I wanted to save my space on the street after two hours of shoveling, it would be okay with you all as long as I replace the ugly furniture with something more visually pleasing???? How about a couple of small battery-powered Christmas trees? Or some sort of attractive lawn ornament?
The reason I ask this is twofold.
First, I strongly suspect that those who object to the practice of space saving are using the type of space saving material used as a smokescreen for what you really hate — which is the practice itself, since you have to park on the stree. But have neglected to dig out or save a space for yourselves.
Second, I wonder if those who are the most offended by the space saving practice have no idea what shoveling snow is really like because you either don’t own cars or you have them garaged, and have not ever shoveled a car out from under a foot of snow. Nor do you help anyone else do the same.
So please clear this up for me before some hillbilly gets the idea that his nasty plastic furniture is not okay to leave in the street, but a couple of nail boards would be okay to leave because they are not as ugly.
NiceCharlie-
I like your comment. All legit questions.
Perhaps this will shed some light on your queries. At least from my demented point of view.
http://theexpiredmeter.com/?p=1708
Lindsay-
I agree with DoR. Fight your 2″ ban ticket. You could send a FOIA to Streets and San to prove there was no 2″ ban.
The muni code is pretty cloudy in this regard.
Was there over 2″ on the ground when you parked? Did snow plows already come through and clear the snow? Who measured the snow? Did they use a ruler to measure the snow? Did they check with Tom Skilling?
There are so many holes in the code, it seems, unless the city announces a ban, this violation is unenforceable.
Fight it.
Geek, thanks for the link. It does tend to answer my question if it’s really the ugly furniture and the hillbilly who refuse to remove it is the big objection. Surely there are a lot of people on both sides of this issue.
I guess it’s one thing to go shovel out another spot because someone else takes yours when you leave it. So are those people lazy because they haven’t shoveled out their own spots and decide to take yours just for that reason? I can see situations in which the parking furniture is both accepted and despised. If you’re a single parent with two toddlers who might otherwise wander into the street, and you shovel your spot and save it for that reason, okay — that single parent is going to feel justified in saving a spot. However, if you’re that same single parent who has not saved a spot only to find all available spots cordoned off, you’re going to be frustrated even if the spaces are all blocked off with designer furniture from Ethan Allen. Thus, my Rhetorical question.
It just seems like the complaints are not really about what the space-saving stuff looks like — or what it is. It’s ultimately about not being able to easily find a place to park on the street because so many spots are “saved”. And it’s even more frustrating for the “non-savers” because, for all the chest-thumping and threats to remove the “street junk” I see here, most wouldn’t dare for fear of having their car keyed or dented in retaliation.
I have a neighbor who not only saves his spot with whatever is available, he trains a webcam on the spot so he can observe it even when he’s at work downtown. That’s a bit extreme, I think, but there’s no doubt that he can see and possibly identify anyone who removes his crap. Whether he’d retaliate is another thing. Probably not. Depends on his mood. Which might not be too great if someone takes his spot.
I am as ambivalent as ever about it. I was just curious as to whether it’s not really the ugliness of the junk, but ultimately being pissed off at the gall of people who claim a “right” to a street spot after they dig out. Let the debate continue.
For the junk in the street…
Legally there is only 1 type of Reserved Parking spaces on residential streets. Those are the Handicapped spaces that people with special needs lease from the city. Regardless of it being a RPP Street or not.
Everything else is first come first served.
[...] It’s been a week since the big snowstorm. [...]
The phobia of getting behind the wheel is an nasty affliction – pretty much self-feeding. What I mean is that avoidance of driving a car supplies the person a perception of security, a positive experience, if you will, which supports the phobia. And naturally, the most significant consequence is quite often remoteness from meaningful connections – face the facts, we live in an downtown sprawl modern society and it will take some kind of transportation to physically get in touch. Thankfully, there are therapies which will help individuals escape. Thanks very much for taking time to write you blog as this is a very important topic!