We’ve all been there before, you wake up in the morning to prepare for another day of work, you look outside, and BAM Mother Nature brought a huge snowstorm. Your driveway is covered in snow, your mailbox is covered in snow and your car, which is parked on the street, is also covered in snow. The first thing you probably want to do is climb back in bed, but before you do that… do your neighbors and city a solid: move your car off the road.

Here’s why: West Jordan City ordinance 7-3-10 prohibits parking a car, or semitrailer, on the street when it is snowing, or snow is already on the street. The ordinance is in effect from November 1^st through April 30^th of the following year. If you are parked on the street during the storm you could face a violation and pay a ticket. But aside from just potentially paying up, you may be the reason your street isn’t getting plowed. While some streets CAN still be plowed with cars parked along the side, many plow drivers will wait until the street is clear to avoid damaging any cars as well as their own equipment.

There are more than 800 lane miles of streets in the city of West Jordan. The city’s plow drivers get to those streets by priority.

City Street Priority Categories:

Priority One: Arterial and major collector streets.
Priority Two: Generally, subdivision collector streets.
Priority Three: All other residential through streets, (excluding cul-de-sacs).
Priority Four: Cul-de-sacs and other dead-end streets. The city incurs proportionally more time and costs clearing snow from cul-de-sacs than on typical “uninterrupted” stretches of streets. Because of the high cost-to-benefit ratio, and lower traffic volume, cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets have the lowest priority, and will be the last areas plowed.

Something else to keep in mind; not all roads are the city’s responsibility. Some roads belong to the state which are maintained by the Utah Department of Transportation, including:

• Redwood Road
• Bangerter Highway
• 7000 South from the Jordan River to Redwood Road
• 9000 South from the Jordan River to 5600 West 
• U-111 from New Bingham Highway to the Northern City border
• Mountain View Corridor
• New Bingham Highway from 7800 South to west of U-111

Another important thing to note; police won’t be able to ticket ALL cars parked on the street. If it’s a snowy commute they are likely responding to crashes or helping drivers who get stuck in the snow. It’s best not to bombard dispatch with a list of your neighbors’ license plate numbers, when they’re already receiving calls about potential crashes with injuries. Think two steps ahead: check the local weather, so you can move your car off the road if it’s likely going to snow.

Snowstorms can make traveling dangerous, help keep your city safe by NOT parking your car along the street before, during, or after a storm. If you have any problems call the non-emergency dispatch number to report it, 801-840-4000.