DEARBORN — In the last month, the city officially declared a snow emergency on four separate days, ordering residents to move all parked vehicles off of neighborhood streets in order for plow trucks to undertake their work.

However, over 2,800 citations have been given out by the Dearborn Police Department since the city declared its first snow storm emergency on December 15, 2013. The breakdown of the citations are as follows:

After a snow emergency was delcared for the day of December 15, 1,193 vehicles were cited with a $40 ticket. If not paid within three days, the fine increased to $80.

On the snow emergency declared for January 2, a total of 859 vehicles were cited. That snow emergency rolled over into January 3, when another 187 vehicles were ticketed. 

On January 6, when the city was struck with the biggest snow storm it had seen in years, a total of 602 vehicles received tickets.

The city has constantly reminded residents that it is a requirement for vehicles to be removed from the streets when it declares a snow emergency. The city begins alerting residents 24 hours prior to a declared snow emergency through a number of sources. 

For its recent snow emergencies, the city sent out messages via the media, Facebook, Twitter, the city website and CDTV. The Dearborn Police Department’s Nixle text message alert system also distributed the alert. 

“The city and the police department are mindful that snow emergencies can be inconvenient for people, especially those without adequate off-street parking for all of their vehicles,” said Mary Laundroche, Director of the Department of Public Information. “We balance that inconvenience with the need to keep the roads safe, to allow emergency vehicles to pass, to allow for trash and recycling pickup, to make sure kids can get safely to school after the storms pass, and so that residents park easily on cleared streets after the event ends.”

Still, it seems residents are having a hard time complying with these rules. While it appears the number of citations did drop significantly from the first snow emergency to the third one, most likely due to increased awareness, some residents claim that they simply had no other place to park their vehicles. Some even claim that their vehicles were stuck in the snow and unable to move from the street. 

Many households might own as many as 3-4 vehicles and could run out of space in their garage or driveway. Residents in those situations are urged to ask a neighbor if they can use their driveway until the snow emergency has passed. Many residents during the latest snow storm had even parked their vehicles on their lawn because they had no more space.

Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad tells The Arab American News that his major concern comes from narrow neighborhood streets in the city, as plowing trucks and emergency vehicles need space to get through. 

“We always try to strike a balance, but on these narrow streets there’s no way around it but to take enforcement measures. Citizens have a clear choice and they need to comply so that fire and police can get down the streets,” Haddad stated. “We have to enforce the law and they need to find a way to comply with that and we will work with them. We know households today have several cars and we try to be reasonable with them.”

Haddad adds that residents parking their vehicles on the streets during snow emergencies has been common for years, especially in east Dearborn. However, he adds that residents across the entire city have been increasingly complying in recent years as the department has found unique ways to spread the message when a snow emergency is declared. 

“We’ve reached out to a lot of groups in attempts to educate the community and best serve them. We aren’t here to punish people during an emergency, but we need compliance. If the street can be plowed effectively, then we might not even issue a ticket,” Haddad says.

The majority of the problem appears to come from the city’s east end. With more congested streets and smaller driveways, some residents might not have the same amount of space as residents in west Dearborn, who often have larger driveways and garages. 

However, it is no secret that many garages in east Dearborn have been turned into “living room garages,” where they often place furniture, refrigerators and televisions instead of using the space to park vehicles. While the city has been struggling with this issue over the last year, the city council is currently in the process of buckling down on these types of garages with an amended ordinance that is expected to pass this month.  

Police Chief Haddad says the Nixle alert text messaging system now reaches over 7,000 residents. To sign up for the system, go to //www.nixle.com/.