St. Paul testing alternate-side winter parking rules
St. Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw explained why residential plowing doesn't start immediately under the current snow-emergency system and said the city will test two alternate-side parking models beginning in January to let plows reach neighborhood streets sooner. The city's existing phases begin at 9 p.m. (Night Plow) and 8 a.m. the next day (Day Plow) to give drivers time to clear main routes and residents time to move cars; the pilot, running January through mid-April with weekly side-switching, keeps one side clear to speed residential plowing and was lightly tested last winter.
📊 Relevant Data
St. Paul tows between 700 and 900 cars and issues about 2,200 tickets for each snow emergency.
Twin Cities snow emergency alerts fall short for non-English speakers — Sahan Journal
From 2010 to 2020, St. Paul's White population decreased from 60.1% to 48.8%, Asian population increased from 15% to 19.2%, Black population increased to 16.5%, and Hispanic population increased to 9.7%.
Minorities are now the majority in St. Paul, census shows — Twin Cities Pioneer Press
Non-English speaking residents in St. Paul, including immigrant communities, experience a greater financial impact from snow emergency tickets and tows due to language barriers.
Twin Cities snow emergency alerts fall short for non-English speakers — Sahan Journal
📌 Key Facts
- Current snow‑emergency phases start at 9 p.m. (Night Plow) and 8 a.m. (Day Plow) to allow notice and rest between driver shifts
- Pilot alternate‑side parking will run January to mid‑April with weekly side changes, keeping 3/4 of roadway clear at any time
- Program is based on plow driver input, mirrors approaches in Duluth, and was trialed last winter but snowfall limited data
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