Carleton Place drivers are being reminded to keep their vehicles off the streets overnight as winter parking restrictions take effect November 15th. The rules remain in place until April 1st, prohibiting street parking between midnight and 7 am, regardless of weather conditions.
The Town says the restrictions are essential to keeping roads and sidewalks clear during the winter months. Public Works crews maintain 64 kilometres of roads and 50 kilometres of sidewalks, with 13 staff handling winter maintenance operations. The 2026 winter maintenance budget is $860,000.
There’s also a practical reason for keeping parked vehicles off the road. With an average street measuring eight metres wide, a snowplow and wing taking up five metres, and a typical parking space using another 2.5 metres, just half a metre remains for the truck to manoeuvre safely.
When vehicles are left on the street, crews may have to plow around them, leaving snowbanks that can freeze solid and become difficult to remove. Clearing those banks later can require heavy equipment, sidewalk plows, snow blowers and a convoy of dump trucks.
Residents who need overnight parking can use designated spaces at seven locations across Town. Vehicles must be removed from these lots by 11 a.m. the following day. A complete list of approved overnight parking locations is available on the Town’s website at carletonplace.ca.
Drivers should also be aware that vehicles towed under the winter parking rules can be retrieved from the library parking lot at 101 Beckwith Street.
Story by Brian Turner
