Parking Restrictions Could Become Mandatory in Some Areas

The St. Louis Park fire chief said a majority of residents are complying with the city’s new , but the policy could still become mandatory in certain areas.

Earlier this month, the city began asking residents to only park on the odd-side of city streets to help emergency vehicles get through narrow passageways. Fire chief Luke Stemmer said he estimates that between 85 and 90 percent of vehicles he and his department have seen on city streets in recent weeks have complied.

However, Stemmer said the big snowfall on Sunday and Monday, combined with all the snow already piled up during this very white winter, has made streets even narrower. As a result, the city could start making odd-side only parking mandatory in certain areas by posting signs. The power to do this is vested in city manager Tom Harmening, who on Tuesday said he had no immediate plans to put up signs but added that he would consult with Stemmer and police chief John Luse in deciding if signs needed to go up later.

If mandatory parking restrictions are enacted in certain areas, Harmening said residents in those areas would be notified via letter beforehand. He said the city would also pursue a media campaign to get the word out.

On Tuesday, City Council noted a few areas that might need the mandatory parking restrictions. Councilwoman Julia Ross said Nevada Avenue South between West 22nd Street and Cedar Lake Road is particularly bad. Councilwoman Sue Sanger added that Ottawa Avenue is also very narrow right now.