Snow Emergency / Winter Parking Ban Policy
The Board of Selectmen voted on November 7, 2011 to adopt the following Snow Emergency / Winter Parking Ban Policy effective immediately.
The Chief of Police or his designee, in consultation with the Director of Public Works, shall have the authority to declare a winter storm-parking ban on all public ways. The declared winter storm-parking ban will be in effect on all Town streets until the weather emergency has been lifted. In general, a winter parking ban shall be declared when four inches, or more of snow is predicted and there will usually be a minimum 4 hours notice before enforcement begins. During an emergency parking ban there shall be NO PARKING at any time on any streets except by Fire, Police, Public Works, other Public Safety vehicles and public utility repair vehicles. Also, NO VEHICLE shall be parked or positioned in such a manner as to interfere with the snow removal or sanding operations.
Residents should take it upon themselves not to park on public ways if there is snow in the forecast.
Any vehicle in violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of $20.00 and may be towed at the expense of the owner.
If you are unsure whether there is a winter storm-parking ban in effect you can tune your television to HWCAM or log onto hamiltonma.gov (town home page). A parking ban will also be sent as a Connect CTY message. You may also call the Hamilton/Wenham Emergency Communications Center at (978) 468-4421 to inquire if an emergency parking ban is in effect. Once a parking ban is declared, on street parking can only resume after the Chief of Police or designee has announced the end of the ban on IIWCAM or the town web site.
DO NOT CALL 9-1-1
Emergency travel for fire, emergency medical and police personnel is the highest snow removal priority. The second priority is to clear roads around schools and to facilitate traffic moving in and out of the Hamilton.
Snow Shoveling Tips
• Residents and businesses are reminded that they are responsible for clearing their walkways.
• The Hamilton Public Service Department recommends shoveling snow away from the street so that snow is less likely to get pushed back onto the driveway or sidewalk by a passing snowplow. This should be done by piling snow to the right side of the driveway (on two-way streets).
• For the postal service to maintain mail delivery, residents must clear the snow in front of your mailbox for proper access.
SNOW and ICE on SIDEWALKS
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