Moncton City Council has approved a pilot project which will allow parking on the street overnights throughout the winter season.

However, Moncton public works director Don Morehouse noted how there will be some exceptions.

“We’ll have to reinstate the ban when we’re seeing a potential forecast for a snow event, or there are planned operations (such as snow removal) in the city that would restrict the ability to do our work.”

Morehouse said the city will make a decision on a parking ban by 3 p.m. and the public would be informed by 3:45 p.m. through various means including social media, radio or the Moncton Alerts system.

In terms of a ban, Morehouse said the city will be divided into three zones: the downtown area, the two hospitals and the rest of the municipality.

Any ban would take effect at midnight and would continue until 7 a.m. when it would be lifted.

Morehouse said a rather successful pilot project began in the downtown in 2016 and this new effort basically expands it city-wide.

In past winters, Moncton had restricted overnight parking on the street from December 1 to April 15 regardless of storms or weather conditions.

The City of Dieppe and the Town of Riverview still have overnight winter parking bans in place which will both begin on December 1.