Winter is hard enough on those who struggle through the wind, snow and ice to get to class, and the City of Ames Public Works Department wants to ensure students don’t have another unwelcome visitor — the tow truck.

To avoid tickets, or worse, towing, all car owners should be aware of the city snow ordinance.

The ordinance will go into effect when two inches of snow has fallen on arterial streets, such as Duff Avenue, Lincoln Way and Grand Avenue, and those streets will be the first to be plowed, according to a brochure provided by the department.

Also on the plowing priority list are snow routes, including all Cy-Ride routes, which are marked with red, white and blue signs.

Cars parked on arterial streets or snow routes need to be moved immediately, and the city advises car owners to move their vehicles in the evening if a storm is predicted to hit during the night.

A press release from the city also said all snow routes will be plowed curb-to-curb, so cars should not be parked on those streets until they have been completely plowed and snowfall has ceased.

In addition, vehicles which have been plowed around must still be moved, because the route will be re-plowed later.

Steve Salvo, operations administrator for the City of Ames, said his department frequently tickets or tows cars that have been left on the streets.

“It’s a big problem,” he said. “The reason why is, there’s not enough off-street parking, and unfortunately, those cars get towed.”

Vehicles parked on snow routes when the ordinance is in effect will be ticketed.

The fine for this ticket is $5 if paid within 30 days and $10 after 30 days.

Cars are subject to towing immediately after ticketing, and there is no grace period between ticketing and towing, the brochure said.

If a car is towed, the owner should call Bud’s Service Center at 292-3662.

The cost of towing is $41 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and $51 between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. Bud’s Service Center also charges a $3 per day storage fee.

Within 48 hours after a snowfall, vehicles parked on non-snow route streets may be ticketed as well.

The city’s brochure said cars left for long periods of time cause hard-to-remove areas of snow and ice, which are hazards to vehicles and pedestrians.

Ames streets will be plowed in this order:

• designated show routes and arterial streets

• residential streets

• parking lots, sidewalks and some bike paths

• alleys (may be plowed the day after snowfall).

Property owners and tenants also have a responsibility to clear their sidewalks.

Within 10 hours after the last accumulation of snow, all sidewalks must have a 4-foot-wide path cleared.

When an uncleared walk is reported, it will be marked with a notice, and the owner or tenant will have 24 hours to clear it.

If it is not shoveled within 24 hours, the Operations Division will clear the walk, at a cost of 75 cents per running foot and a $35 administrative fee.

Ames residents can listen to local radio stations KASI-1430 AM, KCCQ – 107 FM, WHO – 1040 AM and KLRX – 96.1 FM or call The Source at 232-2211 to find out if the snow ordinance is in effect.

For questions or concerns about snow removal progress while the snow is falling, call the Operations Division’s Snow Desk at 239-5543.