More than 200 drivers got a rude awakening on Monday when they discovered their cars were towed.
The city counted 239 cars towed on the first day of the annual-and seasonal-overnight parking ban, according to Molly Poppe, spokeswoman for the city's Streets and Sanitation Department.
The winter overnight parking ban went into effect at 3 a.m. on Dec. 1. Regardless of snow, parking is banned from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. through March 31 on 107 miles of main streets where permanent no-parking signs are posted.
"The ban is a necessary tool to prevent the build-up of snow along main routes, which reduces traffic flow and inhibits snow removal equipment," Poppe said in an email.
Comparatively, the city tallied 239 cars towed on the first day of the ban in 2013, 301 cars in 2012 and 215 cars in 2011, she said.
Drivers who ignore the signs can have their cars towed, get hit with a $60 ticket, and pay a $150 towing fee and a $20 daily storage fee.
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