Halifax's round-the-clock on-street parking ban continues until further notice, the city said Thursday afternoon.

"Crews are reporting significant progress in clearing and widening the streets across the Halifax region, due largely in part to the exceptional cooperation of residents to find off-street parking over the past 24 hours," spokeswoman Jennifer Stairs said.

​Police are helping snow-clearing crews by ticketing and towing vehicles parked on streets.

If you need parking downtown, Waterfront Development is offering free parking in its six Lower Water Street lots. It's free from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. until Monday.

Halifax will also have free parking at its MetroPark lot on Hollis Street as long as the ban is in place.

Mayor Mike Savage earlier said he's grateful to businesses that have offered help to the city and people who are pitching in.

"This is an extraordinary winter and it's going to require extraordinary measure" said Savage.

Extra police crews have been working to make sure vehicles move before snow crews arrived. Some people didn't get the message, as 16 vehicles were towed during the 12-hour period beginning 3 a.m. Thursday.

Roads

Savage said the city's focus is getting streets open.

"We want to get students to school, universities open, we want to get businesses open, we want to get malls open. We want to get people moving in this city," he said.

Darrin Natolino, superintendent of winter operations,​ said the priority Thursday was priority one roads. He hoped to have residential streets opened by the end of the day.

"This will be a choreographed effort," he said. "The work we have to do will take several days. We have no intention of slowing down."

Savage says he thinks they can clear the streets without having to declare a state of an emergency.

"I think it's safe to say if you're outside shovelling your driveway and you leave your car on the side of the road. I don't think we're going to send a SWAT team in to yank your car," said Natolino.

"But leaving your car parked there overnight and going in and tucking yourself in to go to bed and we try to do our work? I'm sorry we have a job to do. We're using all the tools at our disposal."

CBC is offering free parking at 1840 Bell Road.