Winter parking bans help City keep roads clear and safe

posted on: 12/7/2020

City of Dover Community Services Director John Storer and Police Chief William Breault remind motorists to remove their vehicles from public ways when a winter storm parking ban is declared. Vehicles not removed are subject to ticketing and towing.

(Sign-up for winter parking ban notices here.)

The winter parking ban declared Saturday, Dec. 5, went into effect everywhere but downtown at 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Sunday for downtown. The ban was declared at 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Storer noted that even with more than 10 hours’ notice for the parking ban, many vehicles remained parked on City of Dover rights of way, in violation of City ordinance.

“Our plow drivers need your cooperation to clear streets,” Storer said. “Please remove your vehicles from City streets, even when it snows less than what meteorologists predicted. Let our drivers do their job and fully clear Dover’s roads and streets.”

Breault said citizens must do their part to help ensure clear roadways during a storm. 

“There is always a bit of a learning curve when the winter season begins, and many parking ban violators got a reprieve this storm,” Breault said. “However, officers will ticket offenders during subsequent storms and have vehicles towed in key areas of the City, such as downtown.”

Plow drivers need vehicles removed from City streets to clear them efficiently. When vehicles are not removed, plow drivers must push snow around them. This can leave snow buildup on the side of the road, reducing the number of available parking spaces when the winter parking ban is lifted. As with this last storm, snow buildup can turn into ice, making it difficult to remove until it melts away.

Community Services often fields complaints about these snow piles after a storm; however, plow drivers do not have time to return to all these spots in the City to clear these sections. After plowing roads and sidewalks, Community Service workers must clean plow trucks and snow removal equipment, inspect and replace any broken components to ensure equipment is ready for the next storm. Then these workers go back to their regular work duties around the City.

Clearing City streets is always an all-hands-on-deck for Community Services. This winter season, there is another staffing challenge with the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In addition to vacancies, there were numerous plow drivers unavailable due to being in a COVID-19 quarantine protocol for Saturday’s storm.

“These plow driver shortages are likely to stay in effect all winter, as I don’t expect the pandemic situation to improve any time soon,” Storer said.

It’s against the law and ordinance to push snow into public ways

Storer also emphasized it is illegal under City of Dover ordinances and state law to push snow from private property onto public roadways.

Dover City Code Chapter 141-11 states: No person shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, any ice or snow which has been removed from private property, in or upon any street, sidewalk, or public place in the City, or deposit or cause to be deposited any ice or snow on private property in such a manner as to obstruct the normal and reasonable flow of traffic in or upon any street, sidewalk or public place within the City.

Sign-up for winter parking bans alerts

Users can receive text and/or email alerts if a winter parking ban is declared, which requires the removal of all vehicles from public ways to allow street and sidewalk plowing. To receive text alerts, visit https://bit.ly/dovercodered, or text “DoverNH” to 99411 from your phone. To receive email alerts, visit https://bit.ly/doverdownload and select “Parking Ban Alerts” from the list of email notifications.

You can also call 516-PARK (7275) for the current parking ban status.   

For more information, contact the Parking Bureau 516-6132.