When local government is more punishing than Mother Nature

As cities across the Midwest prepare for the winter weather that is to come -- and has already arrived in some places -- winter parking rules are going into effect this week.

In Chicago, winter parking laws went into place this week and will stay in effect until March 1. The seasonal rules outlaw parking on dozens of main streets between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. and provide stiff consequences in response to violations. On Monday alone, more than 230 cars were towed due to the laws, according to the city's Department of Streets and Sanitization.

The department used social media to alert residents of the adjustments to the city's parking laws, as well as canvassing neighborhoods and leaving flyers on windshields.

Some streets in Chicago will still allow parking so long as the city is free of snow, but others have a no-exceptions policy to the parking hour limitations. The restrictions will remain in place until April.

Mother nature can sometimes be very punishing during winter, but so can local governments, some people told AccuWeather. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Some residents of the city are not happy about the restrictions, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Thank God I am still working," Steve Rago, a resident of Chicago told AccuWeather's Emmy Victor. "I am able to pay for this."

Rago's car was towed, and he had to wait two hours in line at the pound before he was able to take possession of it.

"It ain't even a snow day," he said. "They should change the whole thing."

Additionally, the lack of available parking spots across the city during the coronavirus pandemic has left many without a place to park cars. Jorge Gurrero, a Chicago resident, shared his firsthand experiences with his experience with Victor.

"I got home a bit late last night, but there was no parking in front of my house because of the stay-home order," he said.

The city of Chicago is now enforcing its yearly winter parking restrictions, which has left some residents frustrated during the pandemic. (AccuWeather / Emmy Victor)

Others have criticized the method in which the bans are enforced, which includes a $60 ticket, a $150 towing fee and a $25 storage fee for each day the car is impounded.

"I didn't think about the fact that at midnight it would actually be Dec. 1, so they towed my car," Althea Orr told Block Club Chicago, explaining that she was caught off guard by the change from November to December. "Well, there goes a week's groceries, that's for sure."

Winter parking rules also went into effect in Milwaukee this week, which bans parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on major thoroughfares.

Cleveland and Minneapolis, on the other hand, enact winter parking laws only during emergencies. In Cleveland, snow is in the forecast for Sunday; however, there is expected to be little to no accumulation. Minneapolis could get some snow later in the month with a stronger chance of accumulation.

Already on the first day of December, Cleveland experienced its strongest lake-effect snowstorm in two years, starting off the season with a wintry blast. The snowstorm left more than 20 inches in some places, with the highest reported amount a whopping 24.4 inches in Concord, Ohio.

Reporting by Emmy Victor

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