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3. Recommended Changes - Snow Policy. City of Kalispell Public Works Department Post Office Box 1997, Kalispell, Mont,= 59903-1997 -'telephone (406)755-7720, Fax (406)758-783I MEMORANDUM 15 September 2003 To: Mayor Kennedy, City Council, and Chris A. Kukulski, From: James C. Hansz, P.E., Director of Public Works/City Subject: Work Session, Snow Policy — Recommended Chan City Manag Engi er ges In October of 1997, in response to the severe storms of the previous winter, the City adopted a new snow policy that for the most part has improved the task of removing snow from the City's streets and parking lots. Routes, priorities, and equipment/personnel/materials used are clarified in the policy. Although we have experienced very few periods of significant snow over the past five years the storms we have received have provided a number of lessons learned and revealed several areas for improvement. Most changes have been implemented as routine minor adjustments in the way work is done. However, one area has been a constant and annoyingly reliable source of concern and complaint both from our snow plow operators and the public. On -street parking during snow events is a constant source of confusion for citizens and frustration for plow operators confronted by parked cars. The current system requires parking on even -numbered sides of the street on even numbered days and vice versa on odd -numbered days. The intent of this is to permit the maximum work space of two traffic lanes and one parking lane, while trying to recognize the limited amount of off-street parking available for residents of the older part of central Kalispell. While this parking routine seems simple and effective, and we have confirmed that it is common practice across the mid -west, it has proved to be too great a change for some of our residents to accept. As a result, the free work area concept has not worked out as intended. Vehicle parking rules are ignored and vehicles not moved as requested. Other vehicles are left parked For long periods. The police have tried to assist but resources for tagging and towing are limited. Tagging and towing has repeatedly proved to be unproductive because of the number of improperly parked vehicles to be dealt with and the time used unproductively to get it done. memo0562003,do,D The consensus among the snow plow crews, who must work in several areas of the City at the same time during a storm, and who must make any system work, is that, as far as parking is concerned, the previous method of clearing streets and avenues worked pretty well. With that system, streets and avenues in the older parts of central Kalispell were cleared on alternate days. City snow plow operators cleared the Avenues in central Kalispell on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the Streets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This was a long- standing and familiar routine for Kalispell residents. This approach was coupled with a request for residents to park on the nearest crossing street. After several years experience with the current system, operations personnel have concluded that the former system was more efficient and created less aggravation and confusion for the public and everyone else. We believe the City's primary requirement should be to clear traffic lanes with parking lanes to be cleared at the same time where possible but if access is restricted by parked cars these lanes should be done as a follow-up task. Owners of cars parked in a way that prevents access to the curb line should expect to be inconvenienced by snow piled near and around their car as snow plowing operations move forward. This piled snow should be the responsibility of the owner to remove and the City should have no liability for clearing it away. This will probably generate complaints. Parking restrictions in the central business district (CBD) streets and City parking lots specified in ordinance 1.272 seem to work pretty well and should continue unchanged_ And, it should be further noted that parking problems noted above have not been greatly evident in neighborhoods where residents have adequate off-street parking in their driveways and garages_ After considering all the foregoing information, we recommend the following: • Amend Ordinance 1272 to delete all "snow event" language that created the odd - even parking routine for snow events. It should be replaced by language that indicates plowing will be in accordance with the City's administrative policy. • In addition, we recommend the policy be amended to include the guidance that roadways will be cleared curb -to -curb where possible provided that curb access is not restricted by parked vehicles. • Further, we recommend that parking advice for the public, as outlined above be dealt with as administrative guidance in the snow policy so that we can be more responsive to changing operational needs and public input. • Finally, we believe it to be far simpler to have ordinance 1272 declare the primary snow season extends from 1 November through 30 April, with adjustments to conform to seasonal changes of weather made administratively.