UNFAIR OR NOT? CRPD Issues Fines, Towing Cars in Snow Lanes

With plenty of warning from meteorologists that this would be a big one, local officials declared Snow Emergency well ahead of Monday's late snowstorm. The Cedar Rapids Police Department shared the information on their CRPD Facebook page.

But still it happens every time we get a big dumping of snow. Cedar Rapids Police have to issue another warning to residents to promptly remove parked cars out of Emergency Snow Lanes on city residential streets. Otherwise they'll face fines or worse: towing.

Iowa's News Now  reports that towing will begin on Wednesday.

The reason to get cars off the street is obvious, to accommodate plow drivers whose job it is to remove the snow. But some residents are left with tough choices with no place else to park, and they might have no options. For them it's fingers crossed, please don't fine me, it's got a dead battery and I just don't have the cash.

Because with plenty of advance notice prior to the arrival of this latest storm, cops may not be so sympathetic with homeowners who know better. You can bet some will still get tagged with fines or towing.

But is that unfair? Every year the CRPD has to remove cars left in Snow Lanes because otherwise it blocks the streets for everyone. Having your car towed and impounded sucks. It's a big pain in the ass lesson that most of us only need to learn once.