Reimagining Snow Operations

Modernizing the City's Approach to Winter Weather

As a result of the record-setting 2022-2023 snow season, the City of Saint Paul took a citywide approach to reviewing current snow operations and made a number of changes to prepare for the 2023-2024 snow season. Many of the new strategies were not implemented due to the lower than average snow fall this season.

Saint Paul is:

• Researching and exploring several other systems, models, and options to manage citywide snow operations
• Creating a process to engage the Saint Paul community and our partners about snow operations to seek input and feedback

Exploring One Potential Solution: Weekly Alternating 1-Sided Winter Parking Cycle

• Allow on-street parking only on one side of the street (odd/even or N/S or E/W) for one week and then people “switch sides” every Sunday during a specified window of time
• Arterials and collectors given priority, but ability for city plowing operations to more effectively move into residentials at any time 
• Regular ticketing and towing enforcement throughout the winter season to support compliance
• "Snow Emergencies" can still be declared when we need to immediately tag/tow cars for plowing/safety reasons

New Snow Community Working Group

Saint Paul will create a new Snow Community Working Group to serve as community ambassadors to educate, engage, advocate, and collect needed input, feedback, and data from the public around potential new snow models. 

The community working group of 12-15 members will meet regularly to:

• Learn about current snow operations and challenges
• Coordinate and co-host informational community meetings 
• Support the city’s implementation of the engagement plan and strategies to gather input and feedback from the community (e.g. focus groups, surveys, interviews, community events, etc.) on proposed new snow operations strategies

Interest Form for Snow Community Working Group