Just two years after Minneapolis established a truck parking ban, the St. Paul City Council voted to install its own commercial vehicle parking prohibition.
On Wednesday, May 24, the St. Paul, Minn., City Council voted 7-0 to pass an ordinance that bans truck parking in the city. The ordinance mirrors an ordinance passed by the Minneapolis City Council two years ago.
Specifically, vehicles weighing 26,000 pounds or more are prohibited from parking on any St. Paul city street unless the vehicle is engaged in loading/unloading or providing a service. Commercial vehicles and vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds are prohibited from parking in residential zoning districts.
Fines for illegal parking will also go up. The existing ordinance had a standard parking citation fine of $40. With the passage of Ordinance 23-25, fines will be increased to $150 starting January 2024. Beginning July 2024, that fine increases to $250.
St. Paul’s truck parking ban will not go into effect immediately. Enforcement of the new ordinance will begin in January 2024, allowing local truckers to find alternative parking solutions for their trucks.
During Wednesday’s council meeting, Council Member Jane Prince pointed out that the ordinance affects about 200 businesses in St. Paul. She urged the council to try to find some solutions in the coming months.
Eric Koivisto, a former truck driver, told the council in submitted comments to consider an old K-Mart off Interstate 35 and Maryland Avenue. According to Koivisto, that lot has been vacant “for quite a while” and can be used as a location for legal truck parking in St. Paul.
Trucking industry opposes St. Paul truck parking ordinance
The Minnesota Trucking Association “strongly opposes” the ordinance.
“The proposed ordinance will reduce overall efficiency and cut into precious available driving hours for truck drivers forced to park outside of St. Paul,” Minnesota Trucking Association President John Hausladen said in a statement. “It is a simple fact that, to meet narrow pick-up and delivery windows, trucks need to park close to their St. Paul customers. When Minneapolis passed a similar ordinance some drivers were forced to park in remote fee-based lots as far away as St. Cloud.
“Many of the trucks parked overnight are owned by independent contractors who live within St. Paul. These small businesses, many of which are owned by people of color, have no viable overnight parking alternative. This ban could effectively force these residents to cease operations and lose their livelihood.” LL
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