Mayor Chris Beutler has declared a snow emergency for the City of Lincoln. It will take effect at 6 a.m. Saturday, February 4. A snow emergency means parking is banned on emergency snow routes, bus routes and other major arterial streets. A map showing these routes can be found on the City website at lincoln.ne.gov and in the blue pages of the Windstream phone directory. The ban will remain in effect until further notice.

Please stay informed on the status of snow operations in Lincoln. Additional information is available on the City website at lincoln.ne.gov and in your Windstream phone directory. If you have questions, you may call the Public Works Snow Center at 402-441-7644.

With the City’s first big snowstorm of the year possible, Mayor Beutler reminds residents that their cooperation is needed to remove vehicles from the streets to allow for snow removal efforts. Three types of parking bans may be issued:

• In a snow emergency, parking may be banned on both sides of emergency snow routes, arterial streets and City bus routes (maps are available on the City website, lincoln.ne.gov, and in the Windstream phone book).

• A residential parking ban applies to streets that are not emergency snow routes, arterials or bus routes or included in a snow removal district (below). During a residential parking ban, parking is first banned on the even-numbered (north and east) sides of the streets. Once the Mayor has terminated that ban, parking will be banned on the odd-numbered (south and west) sides of the streets, and parking is again permitted on the even sides.

• Last winter, the City created eight snow removal districts. In these areas, the snow is plowed into windrows, loaded into trucks and hauled out of the area between midnight and 8 a.m. To assist with snow removal, the Mayor may prohibit parking on both sides of the street in the districts, which include streets in Downtown; University Place; Havelock; Bethany; College View; 11th and "G"; 17th and Washington; and 25th and Sumner. Maps can be found at lincoln.ne.gov.

To assist downtown residents during snow removal district parking bans, City Parking Services will offer free overnight parking at Center Park Garage, 1100 “N” St. The service is being offered in an effort to reduce citations and towed vehicles in the downtown area during parking bans. The service will be offered from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. when the City is under a snow removal district parking ban. Customers will be charged for any time beyond the nine hours at the posted garage rate. Vehicles that remain in the facility past 10 a.m will be charged for the entire time the vehicle was in the facility.