Unhappy Montreal residents were cited with CAD$52 tickets for parking too far away from the curb in a recent snow storm. Drivers are saying they couldn't get any closer because of the snow. New parking bans during snow storms are adding confusion as well.
Ironically, the first line in the "Parking and Signage" section of "Operation Snow Removal" on the official city portal of the Ville de Montreal says, "The city wants to make your life easier!"
According to the portal, the City makes 5,700 free off-street parking spaces available during snow removal operations, from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. But that is obviously not solving the problem.
The Ville de Montreal website says: Did you know? 25,000 cars are towed away every year during snow clearing operations. I think that number speaks for itself. That is a lot of cars. If that many people are doing it wrong every year, maybe there is a problem with the way the policy is being communicated to the public?
Pete Goldin