As of noon Monday, snow routes are in effect for the city of Durango, the first time the city has had to issue a call to enforce snow removal rules on major roads and streets in more than a year.
Durango code enforcement officer Steve Barkley said when snow routes are in effect, residents are not allowed to park their vehicles along the routes until the snow has been cleared.
Snow routes are marked by signs stating: Snow Route / No Parking / After 2’’ Snowfall / Violators Will Be / Ticketed and Towed.
Snow routes in Durango include:
Eastlawn Avenue, West Park Avenue, Borrego Drive, Clovis Drive, Junction Street, Riverview Drive, East Third Avenue, West 32nd Street and the block around Park Elementary School.
For a map of snow routes, visit the city website at https://bit.ly/2GQBJLw.
Owners of vehicles parked in a snow route during snow removal will be issued a $25 fine for violating the snow route policy and a $50 towing citation, and the vehicle’s owner will be responsible for paying the towing company for towing expenses.
In total, the bill for parking in a snow route will likely run between $200 and $250 Barkley said.
The city also has rules for clearing sidewalks around residences and businesses.
Within 24 hours of a snowstorm, sidewalks abutting residences and businesses must be cleared, Barkley said.
In addition, snow from driveways and parking lots cannot be deposited in city streets and roads. Snow removed from driveways and parking lots must remain on the private property.
Barkley said residents are initially given a courtesy notice if they have not removed snow from abutting sidewalks. If residents fail to remove snow from sidewalks, the city may hire a contractor to do it and bill the owner of the violating home for the work plus a $25 administrative fee.
Barkley said once the city has notified a resident of a failure to clear the sidewalk, the homeowner could be held legally liable if a pedestrian falls and is injured on the sidewalk because of slippery conditions.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
