New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
New Bedford Prepares for Winter Storm
Emergency parking ban effective at 10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6
City offices, libraries, Buttonwood Park Zoo closed Friday, Jan. 7
COVID-19 Testing Canceled at Fire Station 11 on Friday, Jan. 7
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for southeastern Massachusetts, including New Bedford, in effect from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 7. The National Weather Service predicts total snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches, with localized accumulations of up to 10 inches possible. Storm conditions are expected to make travel very difficult, particularly during the Friday morning commute.
Citywide Snow Emergency Parking Ban Effective at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 6
In preparation for the approaching snowstorm, the City of New Bedford has announced a citywide snow emergency parking ban to take effect at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 6.
The parking ban will be strictly enforced and will remain in effect for 48 hours, unless lifted or further extended by City officials. The parking ban is designed to allow City workers to efficiently remove snow from New Bedford roadways, and enable public safety vehicles and residents to travel safely.
While the snow emergency parking ban is in effect, parking is permitted on the north side of all streets going east and west, and is permitted on the east side of all streets going north and south. The permitted side of the street is typically the side opposite of the fire hydrants.
Please note that on streets that are normally posted for parking on one side of the street only, residents are to obey the signs as usual. Vehicles should never be parked within ten (10) feet of a fire hydrant or twenty (20) feet from a corner as required by law, regardless of whether a snow ban is in effect.
Double-sided Parking Ban Areas
To increase public safety during storm events, the areas designated for a double-sided parking ban include sections of numerous streets (listed below), in addition to the Downtown and Acushnet Avenue Business Districts, where double-sided bans have been implemented in years past. The street sections were selected because they are major routes for ambulances, school buses, and SRTA buses, and have a history of large vehicles being unable to successfully navigate due to the narrowness of the street.
During a snow emergency parking ban, therefore, no parking is permitted on either side of the street in the following areas:
• Wood St (Acushnet Ave to Belleville Ave)
• Acushnet Ave (Tarkiln Hill Rd to Coggeshall St)
• Nash Rd (Acushnet Ave to Belleville Ave)
• Ashley Blvd (Nash Rd to Coggeshall St)
• County St (Purchase St to Cove Rd)
• Cottage St (Durfee St to Union St)
• Mill St (Kempton St to Pleasant St)
• Kempton St (Brownell Ave to Pleasant St)
• The Downtown Business District (County St to JFK Blvd, Kempton St to Walnut St)
• Dartmouth St (Allen St to Matthew St)
• Rivet St (Dartmouth St to JFK Blvd)
Violations of the snow emergency parking ban will be subject to ticketing at $50 per ticket, and towing at full cost to the owner of the vehicle towed. The vehicle owner is also responsible for the full cost of storage for any towed vehicle.
The City of New Bedford has designated the following areas as preferred parking areas for residents in need of off-street parking while the emergency snow parking ban is in effect:
Victory Park – Brock Avenue
Hazelwood Park – Brock Avenue
Cove Street Parking Lot – Cove Street and Morton Court
Orchard Street at Camara Soccer Field
Buttonwood Park Parking Area – Hawthorn Street Side and Lake Street Side
Coggeshall Street Parking Lot – Coggeshall Street and Acushnet Avenue
Sawyer Street Parking Lot – Between Sawyer Street and Beetle Street
Brooklawn Park Parking Area – Brooklawn Street (South Side)
Riverside Park Lot – Coffin Avenue
Coffin Avenue Lot- Across from Taber Mills Apartments
Former AVX site on Belleville Avenue at Hadley Street
Former Philips Avenue School – 249 Phillips Avenue
Elm Street Garage
Zeiterion Garage – 688 Purchase Street
New Bedford High School – 230 Hathaway Boulevard
Keith Middle School – 225 Hathaway Boulevard
Normandin Middle School – 81 Felton Street
Roosevelt Middle School – 119 Fredrick Street
Charles S Ashley Elementary School – 122 Rochambeau Street
Elizabeth Carter Brooks Elementary School – 212 Nemasket Street
Elwyn G Campbell Elementary School – 145 Essex Street
Sgt Wm H Carney Academy Elementary School – 247 Elm Street
Lot at intersection of Elm and Cottage (Southeast Corner)
James B Congdon Elementary School – 50 Hemlock Street
John B DeValles Elementary School – 120 Katherine Street
Alfred J Gomes Elementary School – 286 South Second Street
Ellen R Hathaway Elementary School – 256 Court Street
Hayden/McFadden Elementary School – 361 Cedar Grove Street
Horatio A Kempton Elementary School – 135 Shawmut Avenue
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School – 445 Ashley Boulevard
Carlos Pacheco Elementary School – 261 Mt. Pleasant Street
John Avery Parker Elementary School – 705 County Street
Casmir Pulaski Elementary School – 1097 Braley Road
Thomas R Rodman Elementary School – 497 Mill Street
William H Taylor Elementary School – 620 Brock Avenue
SEA LAB/John Hannigan Elementary School – 91 Portland Street
Jireh Swift Elementary School – 2203 Acushnet Avenue
Betsey B Winslow Elementary School – 561 Allen Street
Libraries, City Hall and city offices, Buttonwood Park Zoo Closed Friday
City Hall, city offices, public libraries, and Buttonwood Park Zoo will be closed on Friday, Jan. 7, due to the storm. Senior centers are closed due to the pandemic.
Trash Pickup for Ward 6 in the South End Delayed to Saturday, Jan. 8
Residents of Ward 6 in the South End can keep their trash barrels stowed away Friday morning, as trash pickup will be delayed to Saturday.
New Bedford Regional Airport
New Bedford Regional Airport will remain in operation as conditions permit. Passengers should contact their air carriers directly to confirm their flight status because widespread cancellations are expected.
Sand Available to City Residents at Several Locations
The Department of Public Infrastructure has made sand available to city residents at several locations throughout the city. Residents are advised to bring their own small container to collect the sand at any of the following locations:
– Corner of Liberty Street and Smith Street
– Brooklawn Park parking lot, next to Brooklawn Senior Center
– Parking lot at 773 South 1st Street, across from Dennison Memorial Community Center
COVID-19 Testing Site Canceled in the South End
COVID-19 testing provided by Seven Hills Behavioral Health at former Fire Station 11 at 754 Brock Ave. in the South End has been canceled for Friday, Jan. 7, due to the expected winter storm.
