Craig faces snow removal challenges due to high volume as police issue warnings
Amber Delay/Craig Press
With the high volume of snow Craig has received this year, city officials have faced some challenges with off-street parking.
On their website and social media pages, Craig police are asking residents to refrain from parking on the street during the winter months. Police Chief Michael Cochran said on Tuesday that street parking has become a nightmare for snow removal over the past few weeks.
According to police, vehicles left on roadways create hazards for the plow drivers, congest the streets with extra snow and ultimately result in the vehicles being snow packed. In effort to get ahead of the issue, local officers assisted road crews with parking enforcement on Monday, Dec. 12, and Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Cochran reported that during that time, 37 vehicles were “red tagged,” which is a courtesy to those vehicle owners to relocate their vehicle within 48 hours. After the 48-hour period, if the vehicle is still in the same location, it can be towed at the owner’s expense.
“We don’t want to get to that point,” Cochran said. “But we definitely need some help with not parking on the street, especially with the amount of snow we’ve had the past couple of weeks.”
City officials also mentioned that residents and business owners are prohibited from pushing snow from a driveway or walkway back into the street, including the berms created by snow plows.
Cochran said that with the 12-18 inches of snow Craig recently received, it all has to go somewhere. Having berms in front of driveways isn’t the most ideal solution, but council members agreed that it’s something every resident deals with.
Cochran said the Road and Bridge Department crew has been working a lot of hours, starting their routes at 4 a.m. regardless of whether they are moving snow or spreading sand.
City officials have met with CDOT, which has been understaffed, to discuss snow removal and management along the state-maintained U.S. Highway 40.
For more information about code enforcement for the City of Craig, go to CI.Craig.Co.us/Departments/Code_Enforcement.php.
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