A new winter parking pilot program will begin in some St. Paul neighborhoods this weekend to test a new idea.

The goal of the pilot program is to make life easier for residents and the city when it snows.

At the start of a snow emergency, it can feel like a game of musical cars or ‘St. Paul Says,’ but if you lose, it’s a ticket or tow.

“It was sometimes a little bit confusing,” said St. Paul resident Jennifer Mathiowetz.

For some St. Paul residents, snow emergencies can be a headache.

“I’m often dealing with large rivets in the street because people haven’t been able to find a new place to park,” Mathiowetz said. “I do think it’s a good idea to try something different.”

The city of St. Paul is launching a pilot program in February, hoping to make it easier. 

“We think we’re going to find out that this will be better for residents, better for our plow drivers, and help us to keep the streets clear and passable without the ruts,” Sean Kershaw, St. Paul Public Works director, said.

In the Highland Park and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods, some residents will test out this new idea.

Every Sunday afternoon starting Feb. 2, drivers will have to move their car to the alternate side of the street weekly, whether it snows or not.

Residents in the pilot area should look at the last number of your address and check if it’s odd or even.

During the “even” weeks, cars only park on the side with even-numbered addresses.

During the “odd” weeks, residents can only park on the side with odd-numbered addresses.

There are signs at the end of the street that explain where your car should be each week.

“We know it’s an inconvenience, but it’s such an important city service. With these two pilots, we’re trying to see if we can do a better job,” Kershaw said. “We’re listening to residents who said they think we need to be in the streets sooner and we need to just do a better job on residential streets.”

The city of St. Paul said Duluth has success with this parking model when it snows. Last year, public works said St. Paul issued 20,000 tickets, but in Duluth, they only issued about 200.

The pilot program will start on Sunday, Feb. 2 and wrap up April 12.

St. Paul officials said there will be a grace period as drivers catch on to the new idea before tickets and tows start.

If you do not live in the areas that are being tested, keep responding to snow emergencies as normal.