When your vehicle is towed, it is because you did not respect parking signs during snow loading periods. (Photo: Courtoisie)
There’s a towing service near you during snow-clearing days
Important: read parking signs and snow loading notices
When snow comes, we think of snow clearing and…parking woes! Parking areas are dumping grounds for snow before it gets collected. Therefore the number of spaces to park our cars is limited. Unfortunately, some vehicles get towed during snow loading operations because drivers don’t respect – among others –parking or snow loading hours.
As snow accumulates and piles up, drivers must use their imagination to find parking spots. In such a situation, this valuable means of transport becomes quite a burden along road sides, especially when snow loading operations are taking place.
Respect signs
To carry out snow clearing and loading, Verdun Borough has its own system which is different than that used by Montreal, like in Ville-Émard. Verdun imposes parking restrictions in streets where parking signs are permanently attached to posts. It also uses orange signs that are planted on snow banks signaling that snow loading operations are imminent, in order to accelerate the process.
Under normal circumstances, snow clearing is carried out during regular periods when parking is restricted in most streets, beginning with the major roads. Unless there’s an exception, one side of the road is cleared of snow if necessary on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while the other side of the road is cleared on Mondays and Thursdays. So that everything goes like clockwork, drivers must respect the signs.
Authorised contravention
Verdun Borough goes by summer hours from the 1st of April to the 31st of October for street cleaning and other works; it follows a winter schedule from the 1st of November to the 31st of March for snow clearing and snow loading.
Drivers can take advantage of a telephone service to know if they can park their cars during prohibited times in the winter provided that no work is planned for this period - snow clearing, distribution of abrasives, de-icing and the collection of dead leaves.
All they need to do is dial the number written in red on the sign under the words “except if otherwise prescribed.” (“sauf avis contraire”). Starting at 17h00 daily, the telephone service provides information on parking for the next day. If no telephone number is listed on the sign, the restriction must be respected at all times.
Recovering your vehicle
If your vehicle was towed during snow loading, it was because you parked illegally after the sirens were activated. Whenever possible, the surveillance team of Verdun Borough states that towed vehicles will be placed near an area from where it was taken. Otherwise, it will be taken to municipal-owned areas like the Auditorium and parking lots.
Obviously, people who don’t respect signs have to pay $82.00 – a bit heavy on the pocket. To find out where one’s vehicle was taken to, contact the surveillance service of Verdun which is available 24 hours, 24h, at 514-765-7070 or contact the Verdun Accès office at 514-765-7000. For better security and to avoid unpleasant surprises, be attentive to parking signs and restrictions.
Météo: Montréal, 5 juillet 2008 / 24°C
/ Quelques nuages
/ Vents: 13 Km/h / Humidité relative: 50 % 
par Alexandre Gauthier 
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Steven Guilbeault - 
