St. Paul is asking people to move their cars off certain residential streets this week — under pain of possible tickets or towing — as they replow ice-pocked streets two weeks after a blizzard made a mess of things.

Regular parking rules will apply on major streets, but people are asked to avoid these sides of residential streets between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on this schedule:

  • Tuesday, Jan. 17: Do not park on the north side — usually the odd-numbered side — of east-west residential streets.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 18: Do not park on the south side — usually the even-numbered side — of east-west residential streets.
  • Thursday, Jan. 19: Do not park on the east side — usually the even-numbered side — of north-south residential streets.
  • Friday, Jan. 20: Do not park on the west side — usually the odd-numbered side — of north-south residential streets.

Drivers may park on any main "arterial" streets, on one side of the affected residential streets, and both sides of unaffected residential streets during the restriction period. People also are asked to move vehicles from residential disabled parking areas so crews may plow to the curb, the city said in a news release.

St. Paul is not declaring a snow emergency but has the right to ticket and tow to remove parked cars and trucks that have not been moved. Police can ticket and tow cars and trucks that have been parked on the street for more than 48 hours, the release said.

For more details, go to stpaul.gov/snow.

"We know on-street parking is a necessity for our residents, businesses and visitors in St. Paul," said Sean Kershaw, director of St. Paul Public Works, in a statement. "We need everyone's help to move their cars according to this special schedule. Everyone doing their part will allow our crews to plow to the curb and help us hold off on the need for a future one-sided parking ban.

"It is only mid-January, and we are getting close to season-average snowfall totals," he said. "There is a lot of winter still to come."