New winter parking rules are in effect for some areas of St. Paul.
During "even" weeks, there will be no parking on the side of the street with odd-numbered addresses, while parking will be restricted the side of the street with even-numbered addresses during "odd" weeks.
St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter says the public works department has a tough time getting around all the cars during snow emergencies and says this pilot program might just be the answer they're looking for.
"If we can plow to the curb year round, we can reverse some of that stuff which, you know, enables people to get around, people to park, traffic to move, electric vehicles to move in our city," says Carter. "And frankly, if it works, this is what we're testing, could be frankly a less expensive model to be more efficient in how we move snow."
Parking in the Payne-Phalen and Highland Park neighborhoods is now weekly alternating, one-sided parking though April.
"If we talk to our folks in public works, plowing the snow isn't the hard part," says Carter. "Figuring out how to move the cars and get the cars out of the way so that we can plow the snow ends up being a challenge. So, the goal is to say, you know, let's innovate and devise a new way to move snow in the city."
The pilot project began Sunday morning, meaning there will be weekly one-sided parking only based on the date each week begins with explains the mayor.
"This model, if it works, could actually eliminate snow emergencies," he adds. "Because it gives us the ability to just kind of constantly plow throughout the winter time and plow all the way to the curb so that we don't get, over the course of the winter. We have major snow, we end up seeing that street kind of creep inward."