The City of Madison has declared a snow emergency. Alternate side parking restrictions will be in effect in the downtown/isthmus snow emergency zone as well as the rest of the City of Madison. There will be no large item collection today to help facilitate plowing operations. Refuse and recycling collection, however, will go on as scheduled.

The snow emergency will remain in effect until 7 a.m. on Sunday, February 11.

The Streets Division crews along with heavy equipment contractors will begin plowing all city streets at 7am on Friday, February 9.  All Madison streets should have their initial plowing 12 to 14 hours after the citywide operation commences. The combined plow force of the Streets Division and heavy equipment contractors will be approximately 150 pieces of equipment.  

The Streets Division requests that all Madison residents remove vehicles and trailers from the street if possible. Fewer obstacles in the road means plowing operations will be safer, faster, and more complete.  If residents must park on the street, it is very important to follow alternate side parking rules tonight, and all other daytime parking rules.

Alternate side parking restrictions are enforced from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. Vehicles violating alternate side parking rules may be ticketed and towed.   

Refuse, Recycling on Schedule; No Large Items Today
The Streets Division will have crews assigned to collect the tan refuse and green recycling carts. However, the snow on residential streets will likely slow collection crews.  

There will be no large item collection crews on duty today. Those Streets Division employees are needed to perform plowing operations. The Streets Division crews will assign additional large item collection crews, weather permitting, on Monday, February 12 to begin to collect from the areas that were scheduled to have large items picked today. The Streets Division regrets the delay.

Parking on the Street Tonight (Friday 2/9/18 into early morning of Saturday 2/10/18)
All residents who must park on the street tonight (the evening of February 9 into early morning of February 10) need to have their vehicles on the EVEN house numbered side of the street between the hours of 1am and 7am.  

Violations of the alternate side parking rules are punishable by a fine of $60 throughout the entire City of Madison. Violators could also be towed.

Parking on the Street Tomorrow Night (Saturday 2/10/18 into the early morning of Sunday 2/11/18)
Vehicles parked on the street tomorrow night (the evening of February 10 into early morning of February 11) should have their vehicles on the ODD house-numbered side of the street between the hours of 1am and 7am.  

Violations of the alternate side parking rules are punishable by a fine of $60 throughout the entire City of Madison.  Violators could also be towed.

Other Parking Information
Residents are reminded that all daytime parking restrictions will be enforced.  That includes restrictions that ban parking on selected blocks in the Downtown/Isthmus area and on the near east and near west sides.  Parkers should pay attention to all parking signs since violations may lead to tickets and towing.

Parking is available in the cashiered sections of city-owned ramps in the downtown area. During a declared snow emergency, you can park for no charge at the City ramps from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. If you enter before 9 p.m. or leave after 7 a.m. you are liable for any parking charges before 9 p.m. and from 7 a.m. until the time you leave.

When parking in the ramps overnight, do not park on the top level so this area can be plowed. Be aware that vehicles stored in city ramps longer than 48 hours are subject to being ticketed and towed. Meters in lots and ramps are enforced 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.  Parking is also available at the Brittingham Park Shelter parking lot off of W. Washington Ave.

Why You Should Follow Alternate Side Parking
Following alternate side parking keeps the roads open, wide, and safe for all roadway users – cars, bicycles, emergency vehicles, refuse/recycling collection, and so on.  

During tonight’s portion of the snow emergency, when you park on the EVEN side of the street as you should, that leaves an open lane of travel on the ODD side for the plows to push the snow all the way back to the curb.  

And tomorrow night, for the second half of the snow emergency, parking on the ODD side means plows can get to all the snow on the EVEN side that they could not the night before.

Additional Information on Plowing Operations
Since the Streets Division will be plowing during the day, it is probable travelers will encounter snowplows working to clear the roads. Be sure to give the operators plenty of space as they work to make the roads safe.  Also, since this will be a daytime plowing operations, crews may also be slowed by the regular daytime traffic, and to combine that with the fairly deep snow event could make for a slower than usual citywide plowing operations.

While plowing operations will occur during the day and into the evening, it is still very important to abide by alternate side parking rules during the 1am to 7am window late tonight. Crews will be working through at that time in order to clear areas blocked by cars during the initial daytime plowing phase.

When you are on the roads during the plowing operations, it is common to encounter temporary windrows blocking side streets as crews loop through neighborhoods plowing the snow back to the curb.   

Since plowing operations are happening during the day, many residents will return to their home after work to find their street plowed and driveway apron blocked with snow. Snow in the driveway apron is a regular occurrence during plowing. Plow trucks follow the curb line, and their plow blades are angled toward the curb as well in order to push snow out of the street. Snow builds on the plow blade as they drive forward since the curb does not allow snow to fall off the blade. Gaps in the curb created by driveway aprons means snow falls off the blade and into the apron gap.

Since this is a deep snowfall, residents are reminded to take care when clearing their sidewalks and driveways. Be sure not to overexert yourself, and take breaks as needed.

For those commuting through the city, everyone should make good choices when on the roads. Crews worked through the night on the salt routes, which are the main thoroughfares of Madison.  However, the snowfall was particularly heavy at times and covered over their work. Crews will keep looping through the salt routes to have them cleared before starting residential plowing.  Residential streets are covered with deep snow, meaning conditions will be quite slippery. The residential streets will remain snow covered until plow trucks can service these streets, which again, can take some time.

Madison residents can get additional; snow emergency information at www.cityofmadison.com/winter and addition winter parking information by calling 608-261-9111.