Bozeman staff propose alternate‑side parking, signage and overnight limits to speed winter street clearing

Transportation and streets staff told the Bozeman City Commission on April 22 that formalizing alternate‑side parking and expanding select overnight restrictions would let crews clear streets to the curb more often, shorten grader turnaround times and reduce safety risks during heavy snow years.

Nick Ross, director of transportation engineering, presented winter operational data and a pilot program summary. The city recorded roughly 84 inches of snow this season across about 50 events, Ross said, and streets crews logged nearly 46,000 lane‑miles of plowing plus about 1,300 hours of snow hauling. Graders are most efficient when they can clear curb to curb; on legacy downtown streets that are narrower than modern design standards, on‑street parking on both sides reduces the clear width and slows operations.

“Access to the curb is where we can store snow through the winter,” Ross said. Where parking utilization is high, graders slowed to about 1 mile per hour during the pilot; where curb access was clear, crews achieved higher production rates.

Staff described a small pilot of odd/even alternate parking in the South Core over recent months. Lessons: success depends on compliance; compliance requires signage and enforcement; high curb utilization blocks the plan; and neighborhood outreach was necessary. Ross recommended three near‑term actions: 1) make the alternate‑side pilot permanent for affected blocks with clear, uniform signage; 2) expand overnight parking restrictions in a defined downtown zone so early‑morning crews can clear local streets before daytime activity begins; and 3) invest in signs and modest enforcement capacity.

Ross estimated sign costs (printing and assembly) and said many blocks already have regulatory signs that could be leveraged; staff plan to minimize sign clutter by placing restrictions at block beginnings and ends where feasible. He estimated the downtown legacy grid contains roughly 50% of streets built under narrower historic widths; removing parking on one side of those streets could reduce on‑street supply by an estimated ~25% in the downtown area, staff said, but would substantially improve plow productivity and emergency access.

Chief Waldo and parking enforcement staff joined the discussion and said enforcement and fines are necessary to secure compliance. Commissioners and residents asked about student parking near Montana State University, permit programs and ways to communicate rules. Residents suggested layered outreach, including physical signs and an opt‑in text/alert service; staff said the city is developing centralized alert/text options and is coordinating with communications and IT.

Commissioners encouraged staff to proceed, noting the measure’s equity and convenience impacts. Staff will return with refined sign designs, an estimated cost and an implementation schedule that could allow signage and enforcement ahead of the next snow season.

Ending: Staff said they will continue neighborhood outreach, expand pilot design where appropriate, produce sign mockups and return with funding and enforcement details for Commission direction.