TELL US: Enjoying Your Freedom to Park on the Street All Night?

There was likely outright rejoicing in some corners of the city over the weekend, as for the first time, Peabody residents didn't have to pull their cars off the street. That's because there is no more winter parking ban.

There hasn't been much snow yet either, and that was the point.

City councilors struck down the annual ban this past spring, airing the same time-honored complaints about it, and then voted in a new emergency parking ordinance in September that utilizes blue lights and other means of public communication to notify residents of an impending storm and a parking ban.

Over in Danvers Tuesday night, town officials did likewise to the town's longstanding yearly ban, striking it down in favor of declaring an emergency ban when it actually snows. That change, however, won't take affect until Jan. 1.

Violators of the ban will get a ticket and towing charges, the same as they will in Peabody.

Peabody, Lynn, Salem, Beverly and Danvers now all have similar emergency bans in place for storms, although Danvers doesn't have the cool blue lights.

While public works directors say, logistically, it's easier to plow the streets with an annual ban in place, many residents complain they don't have access to enough or any off-street parking and they shouldn't be ticketed when there are no storms in the forecast.

City officials are looking at designating alternate parking locations during a storm for residents who can't park off-street, as well as creating a central tow yard for any vehicles that have to be hauled away.