Anita Knapp's car was jutting onto Whalley Avenue Tuesday night. She needed to move it otherwise she'd get towed away.
"I'm not on the street. This is my car. I'm here trying to give medications to people," said Knapp, who is a visiting nurse and didn't know about the city's tag and tow operation. "Whatever, I will pull forward if they pull their van forward. That's the best I can do. I need to finish giving medications in this house."
Whalley Avenue is one of the roads tow trucks went on Tuesday, getting cars off of it and other main arteries to make sure plows can get down them. The towing will happen until 6am Wednesday morning.
Knapp was one of the lucky ones who came out in time. A car in Fair Haven wasn't so lucky. The ticket will cost the driver $100 and the tow $88.
Many cars fell victim to the city's emergency tag and tow operation. The city's goal is to clear all main roads like Grand and Whalley Avenues of snow. These streets are also labeled emergency snow routes.
"We recognize it’s not a pleasant task to do but considering that we have mounds of snow here behind me in order to bring passageway…we have no other choice," said Jim Travers, Director of Transportation and Traffic for New Haven.
Police and city officials came over loud speakers warning residents of the impending tow program. They also did reverse 9-1-1 calls and even alerted local aldermen.
"My car was stuck since Friday in Hamden and now I gotta move my car again because they wanna move the snow," said Dana Scruggs who didn't know about the towing until NBC Connecticut told him. If I would’ve come out and my car would’ve been gone and I would’ve been pissed. Really pissed!!"
Anita Knapp finally moved her car across the street because she had to come back to finish her medications.
"It has been absolute misery trying to get through Hamden and small streets in New Haven," Knapp said.
The City of New Haven is telling drivers still parking on the streets to move their cars to a New Haven school parking lot. Starting Wednesday the city wants cars parked on even sides of the street so they can continue to clear the snow.
Photo Credit: AP