BIDDEFORD — With snow storms looming on the radar during the winter months, it’s important to note what procedures to follow for Biddeford’s snow ban parking and what the city’s public works department plans are for the weather.

The city has two types of snow-related parking bans: snow removal and snow emergency. During a snow removal ban, the public works department will mark the area with no parking signs along the roadway. When a snow emergency ban is called, parking is prohibited on any street or municipal parking lot within the city’s jurisdiction.

“We handle parking bans depending on the time of day the storm is coming in,” said Biddeford Public Works Director Jeff Demers. “If a storm is coming in at night, we’d try and have the parking ban align so we wouldn’t disturb the workday parking.”

While the emergency parking ban prohibits street parking, there are nine designated parking lots that citizens may move their cars to during a ban. There are five lots that are free of charge and four lots that have a fee of two dollars per storm.

The no-cost parking lots are the Biddeford Public Access lot off of Pool Street, the lot at 39 Sullivan St., the Biddeford Community Center parking lot, the East Biddeford Little League parking lot on Hill Street, and the Clifford Park parking lot.

The parking lots that have a cost of two dollars per storm are located on Foss Street, Washington Street, the Gas House parking lot on Water Street, and on Water Street across from the treatment plant.

Vehicles may be parked in these specific lots during the parking ban, but spots are not reserved. The parking lots are on a first-come first-serve basis.

Additionally, parking ban instructions vary depending on the type of permit drivers have. Any short-term parking permit holders, including Monday through Friday permit holders, must move vehicles to the designated lots. Only those who have a 24/7 permit or a nights and weekends permit will receive emailed instructions regarding where to bring vehicles during a parking ban.

Demers said the snow ban protocol has been in place for years and focuses on citizen road safety.

To find out if there is a parking ban in effect, call the parking ban hotline at 571-0616. Additional information about both types of parking bans may be found on the city of Biddeford’s website.

“We (the public works department) broadcast the bans on the radio, Biddeford Public Access, news stations, our website, and on our Facebook page,” said Demers.

The Biddeford Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining 275 miles of lane roadways and their street maintenance division is responsible for the funding of the winter storm maintenance.

“If a storm came in unexpectedly, (the public works department) would go into emergency protocol,” said Demers. “Public safety is our number one concern in our department.”

In reference to plowing, salting, and shoveling, the public works department has a set direction. According to a city ordinance, the property owners in the downtown area are required to remove the snow from public sidewalks where their property is. However, the city owns many properties downtown, so the public works department is responsible for their snow clean up and also will assist other property owners if necessary.

The recycling and transfer center located on Hill Street offers a free sand and salt mixture for citizens to keep the icy areas safe. During the winter, citizens may pick up as many as two five-gallon buckets per day.

“We want to make sure people are safe,” said Demers. “We don’t want to impact the people too much (with our protocols).”