Elm City addresses plowing, towing procedures

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- The City of New Haven released updated plowing and towing information for residents on Wednesday.

The following is the press release:

Downtown New Haven opened for business today for the first time since Friday's blizzard. City Hall re-opened as did Gateway Community College, the New Haven Free Public Library and Yale University.

The New Haven Public Schools and Senior Centers will remain closed through the end of the week. This will allow for a more thorough cleaning of sidewalks as well as the removal of the huge piles of plowed snow from City streets and sidewalks, ensuring safe passage for the City's children and seniors.

All city streets have been made passable. Over the next two days, crews will focus on removing more snow from City streets and moving the massive piles of plowed snow to another location. This will be done through daytime and nighttime operations.

Nighttime tow and plow operations will cover the area of the City east of the Boulevard and west of the Quinnipiac River, which is the green shaded area in the attached map. The nighttime operation will take place at night and include a towing and plowing program. This is necessary as this section of the City is older and tends to have more narrow streets and limited off-street parking options. For this operation, we are asking all residents to park on the even side of the street overnight for the next two nights.

Daytime operations will clear the areas west of the Boulevard and the areas east of the Quinnipiac River, the un-shaded portions of the City on the attached map. The housing in these areas tends to be more modern with wider streets and many off-street parking options. If residents remove their cars from the street, we do not anticipate having to tow in these areas.

Below, you will find detailed information on the nighttime tow and plow operation.

WHAT: Tow and plow operation for cars that are parked on the odd side of the street. RESIDENTS ARE TO PARK ON THE EVEN SIDE OF THE STREET on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Where: All streets East of the Boulevard and West of the Quinnipiac River.

When: Two Nights
· NIGHT 1: Wednesday from 6 pm to Thursday morning at 6 am
· NIGHT 2: Thursday from 6 pm to Friday at 6 am

Why: To plow more snow from the streets and remove the massive piles of plowed snow from the streets. These operations will significantly widen streets for two-way vehicular travel and make neighborhoods and downtown safer for pedestrians.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
· PARK ON THE EVEN SIDE OF THE STREET if you live on any of the streets listed under "Where".
· Cars that are parked on the odd side of the streets listed above will be subject to tagging and towing.
· This operation will run overnight for the next two nights as listed above under "When".
· We will hit as many streets as possible during these operations, but want to be realistic: we might not hit every street.
· Areas of the City not listed above (under "Where") will be cleared during the DAY on Thursday and Friday. These areas have many off-street parking options and we are asking residents to park in their driveway. If residents remove their cars from the street, and will not require a towing operation if people remove their cars from the streets.