Spokane’s plow plan includes new street parking restrictions

Drew Reeves by Drew Reeves

Snow is on the way and while the city works to perfect its snow plow plan, it’s asking residents to prepare for new parking changes.

The city is asking drivers to restrict their parking to one side of the street during the entire plowing season.

“Make it a habit, park on the odd side of the street all winter long, and you know that you’re going to get the best plow in your neighborhood that you can,” said Marlene Feist with the Spokane Public Works Department.

From November 15 to March 15, the city is asking driver to try not parking on the even side of the street. That includes neighborhoods with tight streets like Browne’s Addition.

“This is a collaboration with our citizens. We’re asking our citizens to help us get them where they need to go more effectively,” Feist said.

The city says a big part of their plan is to get into residential neighborhoods to plow sooner and more often. With cars only parked on the odd side of the street, a plow can be ready to go through a neighborhood at any time.

However, the idea isn’t sitting well with some. Andrew Porter was raking leaves Tuesday when he learned of the new parking plans, and wasn’t to keen on the idea.

“That’s just very inconvenient. Every time you come out of your house to go to work, you’ll have to walk all the way across the street to scrape ice and do all the things you need to do,” Porter said.

Porter says he thinks the city should put more faith in its citizens.

“People are smart enough to know when they need to move their car. They’ll just jump in their car and move it right over and let the plow go through,” he said.

But the city says this idea actually came from complaints they have received in previous years. It says many people have complained that parking during plowing is too complicated and needed to be simplified.

The city is now asking people to attempt to make parking on the odd side of the street a habit starting November 12. The city also promises it won’t be trying to tow people away.

The city says it’s also planning on trying some new, smaller equipment in those tight neighborhoods like Browne’s Addition. Browne’s will also no longer be the last neighborhood to be plowed during each snow event.

And if needed, the equipment is ready to go out this weekend.

“Everybody’s been out, they’ve tried the equipment, we’ve tuned it all up, all the plow blades are on the vehicles. So yeah, we’re ready for this weekend,” Feist said.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.