The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is issuing a 72-hour ban on parking vehicles on municipal streets and roads, beginning at 2 pm Saturday due to weather conditions from the winter storm that wreaked havoc on the region.
The parking ban will continue until 2 pm Tuesday, said municipal officials in media release issued just before noon Saturday.
“We are asking motorists to make every effort to move their vehicles off the streets so that the plows can clear the roads more effectively,” said Ryan Brown, public works director in the media release.
“We recognize that this is an inconvenience, but there are no other options,” he said.
“Emergency vehicles, citizens, and local businesses all depend on these streets being cleared as quickly as possible,” he added. “The order will be rescinded as soon as road conditions warrant it to limit the inconvenience to residents.”
The parking ban has been declared under Chatham-Kent (traffic and parking) by-law 245-2004, sections 218.02 and 218.03.
Residents are also being reminded that placing snow or ice on a roadway is a violation under the Highway Traffic Act.
“Please do not shovel, push, snow plow, or deposit snow onto the roadway, shoulders, or sidewalks,” Brown said. “This hampers our operations, may cause snowy or slippery conditions for pedestrians or vehicles, and delay our clean-up by requiring our equipment to return to clear areas that were previously cleared.
“It also creates a hazard for other motorists, especially when winter conditions make visibility difficult,” he added.
Although emergency snow-clearing efforts continue, several roads in the municipality remain closed and many of those not closed are treacherous, municipal officials said.
The municipality has 35 snowplows operating at present. Officials estimate there are hundreds of stranded cars throughout the municipality.
Police and EMS are attending to calls on a priority basis in terms of risk to life.
Chatham-Kent’s Snow Plow Tracker and Frequently Asked Questions for winter control can be found on the municipal website at www.chatham-kent.ca. Contact the Municipality by phone at 3-1-1 or email [email protected] for more information.