Portland is considering a major overhaul of its winter parking enforcement policies, including a sharp increase in fines for vehicles left on the street during snow bans.
One of the most significant changes proposed would raise the fine for violating a snow-related parking ban from $40 to $175.
The proposed changes, introduced by city staff, aim to improve compliance and allow for quicker snow removal during storms, according to a news release from the city.
The City Council’s Sustainability & Transportation Committee is scheduled to review the proposal at its meeting Wednesday at 5 p.m. Residents will have an opportunity to offer public comment during the meeting.
If approved by the committee, the plan would move to the full City Council for a final vote later this fall.
City spokesperson Jessica Grondin said in a news release that low compliance with parking bans in recent years has made it harder for plows to fully clear streets and for emergency vehicles to get through. Limited access to tow trucks — which the city contracts from private companies — has also hindered efforts to enforce snow bans, Grondin said.
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The plan also proposes changes to how towing costs are handled. Currently, if a vehicle is towed during a snow ban, the owner must pay $210, which includes a $135 towing fee and a $40 citation. Under the proposed policy, the city would eliminate the citation if the vehicle is towed, lowering the total cost to the owner to $135.
Another factor at play is the upcoming closure of the city’s impound lot at the Ocean Gateway site near Commercial and India streets. That lot is set to close permanently in November as the area is redeveloped into Harbor Commons Park. City staff have not yet identified a new location to impound cars and are now considering storing towed vehicles at private tow yards instead.
To support compliance, the proposal would expand the number of off-street parking areas available during snow bans. Five new locations and an extension to an existing spot would be added to the current 22 areas.
The new locations are:
Baxter Boulevard (Back Cove side), between Preble Street Extension and Bates Street
Douglass Street (next to Dougherty Field)
Rainbow Mall Road (next to the woods)
St. James Street (next to Dougherty Field)
Valley Street (south of C Street, next to the Western Promenade)
The city also wants to expand snow parking on the Eastern Promenade toward Major Charles Loring Memorial Park.
The additional areas are focused on high-density neighborhoods and places near parks, where on-street parking is typically scarce, Grondin said in the news release.
The proposal was first presented at the Sustainability & Transportation Committee’s Sept. 10 meeting. If adopted, the new fine structure and expanded parking options would take effect before the start of the upcoming winter.