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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

City introduces new snow-removal system

Cartoon characters teach the ABCs

By: Carol Sanders

Posted: 11/29/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Lieutenant Loader

The city has recruited General Grader and Lieutenant Loader to teach Winnipeggers the ABCs of a new residential snow-removal system.

The cartoon characters are part of the Know Your Zone advertising blitz announced Monday to let drivers know about lettered parking ban zones in residential areas.

Streets are now zoned with letters for residential snow clearing, so people can find out when a 12-hour parking ban is in effect on their street by calling 311 or going to the city's website at www.knowyourzone.winnipeg.ca

"We're hoping people will take the time to find out what letter their zone is," public works spokesman Ken Allen said.

They did.

On Monday, the website crashed when it was overrun with inquiries.

The residential parking ban will apply in 12-hour shifts, day and night, to designated snow zones across the city.

The idea behind Know Your Zone is to get vehicles to move when plows are coming so they can do their job and make streets clearer.

"It's more efficient if we don't have to go around cars," said Ken Boyd, the city's manager of streets maintenance.

The days of parking a block away when your street is being plowed appear to be over. Now people may have to park several blocks away outside of their zone or get towed if their vehicle is left on the street when that zone is being plowed.

Under the new winter parking ban bylaw, owners of vehicles that violate parking bans will receive a $150 ticket and their vehicles may be towed out of the plow's way to another street. To find their vehicle they can call 311.

People can sign up in advance for email or Twitter notifications through knowyourzone.winnipeg.ca to find out when designated snow zones are scheduled for plowing, the city said. When a residential plowing operation is underway, the website will also display this information on a map showing those residential streets where the ban applies for the current and next shift.

Another parking ban change affects the annual snow route parking ban from Dec. 1 until March 1 on streets designated as snow routes. Starting Thursday, the ban will be extended to run from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. -- an hour longer than the ban that ended at 6 a.m. last season.

Vehicles parked in violation of the annual snow route parking ban will receive a $100 ticket.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 29, 2011 A5

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