Buffalo's winter parking restrictions take effect Sunday, Nov. 15, and remain in place through April 1 as the city launched its new "Don't Block Your Block" campaign Friday to encourage drivers to keep streets clear for snow removal.
Officials say they're expanding parking enforcement and towing resources to prevent vehicles from obstructing snowplows. But Mayor Sean Ryan said the goal is compliance, not punishment.
“Let's just be clear: Our goal isn't to ticket. Our goal isn't to tow," Ryan said. "Our goal is to plow your street, because one parked car in the wrong place could ruin it for the whole block."
Under the winter parking restrictions, parking on designated bus routes is prohibited daily between 1:30 a.m. and 7 a.m.
City officials say new snow-removal equipment will help crews clear neighborhood streets more efficiently this winter. But Public Works Commissioner Nolan Skipper said improperly parked vehicles still can create significant delays.
“When we have to stop on a block, it can take upwards of 20, 30 minutes for a plow to have to back out of a street, start another street, and then that block gets missed, and it delays everything," he said.
The city is deploying smaller equipment to navigate narrow streets and introducing a digitized system to improve coordination between snowplow crews and parking enforcement.
Officials say the seasonal restrictions will also help crews clear fallen leaves from streets before snowfall.
Drivers who violate alternate-side parking restrictions will receive warnings during the first week, from Nov. 15 through Nov. 21.
Parking Commissioner Justin Booth said vehicles obstructing snowplows may be "mini-towed," meaning they will be relocated nearby rather than taken to an impound lot. Drivers whose vehicles are mini-towed will receive a $110 ticket.
Residents are urged to check their block's parking signs, move vehicles before restrictions begin, and remind visitors of the rules. An updated list of affected bus routes is available on the city's winter parking webpage.
