DEARBORN – This week, city officials announced details for a pilot program that would designate parking spots for residents during a snow emergency this winter.

Last week, The Arab American News reported that the city was prepping for the season with the announcement of the program, following last year’s harsh winter, which saw more than eight city-wide snow emergencies.

Last year, Dearborn police officers  wrote more than 5,000 citations because residents kept their vehicles parked on neighborhood streets while DPW plow trucks attempted to clear the snow from those roads. 

While thousands of residents had been cited, many of them complained that they had limited off-street parking areas in their driveways and garages, especially in east end neighborhoods.

This winter, however, the city will be offering temporary parking options on designated streets for residents in the east end and Southend neighborhoods.

According to a press release, signs will be posted to notify residents which roads are being made available as temporary parking locations as part of the program. 

Residents are responsible for moving their vehicles back to their own streets once those roads are cleared in order for plow trucks to work through the streets used for the temporary parking.

Vehicles must be removed from the temporary parking areas within 24 hours of the snow emergency declaration or the owner will be cited with a $80 ticket. This year, the city updated its ordinance to expunge a discounted $40 fee if the ticket is paid by the resident within three business days.

Following last year’s heavy snow and feedback from residents, the city orchestrated the pilot program with the DPW after determining which areas were in most need of allocated parking spots. 

Residents in the Southend neighborhoods who cannot park their vehicles in their driveways will be able to park on: 

Eagle, from Amazon to Salina; Lapeer, from Ferney to Amazon; Lowrey, from Holly to Saulino Court; Westlawn, from Vernor to Burley; Tuxedo, from Ferney to Riverside Drive; Whittlington, from Canterbury to Riverside Drive; Berkshire, from Industrial to Cantenbury; Morningside, from Industrial to Wyoming and Riverside Drive, from Industrial to Vernor. 

Residents in the northeast neighborhoods who cannot park their vehicles in their driveways will be able to park on the following streets:

Blesser, from Maple to Oakman; Henson, from Maple to Oakman; Henn, from Chase to Williamson; Haggerty, from Maple to Calhoun; Paul, from Chase to Horger and between Schaefer and Hartwell; Hemlock, from Chase to Oakman; Donald, from Chase to Calhoun and between Reuter and Oakman and Alber, from Reuter to Oakman.

Last week, the city council also added a provision to the city’s snow emergency ordinance that permits police to ticket parked vehicles even after a snow emergency has expired, if it appears the vehicle showed signs of having never been moved.

Snow emergencies are usually declared by the city when three inches or more of snow is expected in a short period of time. 

Residents are usually made aware of a snow emergency by discharged sirens and alerts on TV, radio and the city’s website. The police department’s Nixle text message alert system also notifies residents. The city also has established a snow emergency hotline at 313.943.2444.