With another winter storm looming on the horizon, members of the Biddeford City Council discussed the city’s policy regarding overnight parking bans.

At the tail end of Tuesday’s council meeting, Councilor Neva Gross – who represents much of the city’s downtown area — raised the issue to her fellow councilors, asking if there is more the city can do to announce parking bans in advance of a storm.

“I personally live down here [downtown area] so I am affected by this every time there is [a ban],” Gross said. “I received some emails over the last few days from some folks whose cars were towed during a ban because they didn’t know about it.”

Gross acknowledged that city routinely updates residents about pending parking bans in a variety of ways, including the city’s website, the city’s official Facebook page and the ability for residents to sign up for email or text notifications.

The city — — along with several other communities throughout southern Maine — also notifies television news stations about upcoming parking bans.

“Is there some kind of way that we could notify folks who are not on social media or looking at the city’s website,” Gross asked.

City Councilor Marc Lessard drew a round of laughter when he suggested that the city may want to consider using a “fire horn” to alert downtown residents of a pending parking ban.

“The bottom line is that if you park your vehicle on a public road, in the wintertime,
and it’s going to snow; you have to assume that there is going to be a parking ban
and try to figure out a way to find out about that.”

City Manager James Bennett

“I’m kind of being serious,” Lessard said, recalling that decades ago the city used a central fire horn to inform citizens of fires and served as a curfew notice.

City Manager James Bennett said “there is just no way for us to do it right” in reference to snow parking bans.

Bennett said the city of Lewiston had a policy prohibiting all overnight parking during the entire winter season.

“I’m glad to look at ways for us to enhance getting that information out,” Bennett said, pointing out that residents should make an effort to stay informed.

“This probably sounds cold, or not customer-friendly, but the bottom line is that if you park your vehicle on a public road, in the winter time, and it’s going to snow; you have to assume that there is going to be a parking ban and try to figure out a way to find out about that,” Bennett said.

Bennett also told the council that “snow clearing” parking bans represent an additional challenge in keeping residents informed about parking bans because those do not happen during a storm. “We really have to go overboard in alerting residents about those [parking bans].” Bennett said.

“If you live downtown, please help us by also doing what you can to find out about parking bans,” Bennett said.

Mayor Marty Grohman also said he heard from some friends whose vehicles were towed during a parking ban. “I think making the lots on Water and Washington streets available has been helpful,” he said.

Editor’s note: Click here for more information about Biddeford parking bans or to sign up for email and text alerts

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