By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Winter “no parking” hours go into effect at 2 a.m. on Friday, November 1. Beginning at that time and continuing through March 31, 2025, it is illegal to park vehicles on any city street between 2-6 a.m. The only exceptions are (a) Physicians on a house call (how often does that happen now?), (b) Parking is permitted in the downtown parking area after 5 a.m., and (c) By special advance arrangement with the public works director. Violations may subject the vehicle owner to a fine between $20-105, plus the possibility of the vehicle being towed, resulting in additional expenses.

By the way, on October 15 the Common Council discussed a suggestion to delay the start of the winter parking ban to December, based on the fact that the area hasn’t been experiencing much snow in November. Public Works Director Brad Marquardt provided a report showing that the average snowfall in the month in Madison and Milwaukee over the past fifteen years has only been 3.1″. In 2019, however, 15.9″ and 13.7″ fell respectively. Marquardt’s primary objections to changing the start date were “having to avoid and plow around cars, and the possibility of frozen snowbanks left behind. Also, there is no great way to communicate a “snow emergency” to the residents if we needed the cars off the street for a snowstorm.” The Council voted to maintain the November 1 start date.