Winnipeggers will have to look further to find a place to park this weekend. The city has declared a snow-route parking ban in effect beginning Saturday night at midnight.

The ban is to allow graders to plow areas where ridges of snow and ice have built up on main routes, bus routes and garbage-collection routes.

Front-end loaders will be used to clear intersections and bus stops as well.

Crews will also be sanding routes, in a bid to address drivers' complaints about slippery roads.

The new parking ban extends the annual snow-route ban's hours by two hours each night until roadways are cleared. Parking is prohibited on snow routes between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Any vehicles in violation of the ban will be ticketed $100 and could be towed.

About 300 pieces of equipment are expected to be deployed Saturday night, and motorists are being asked to drive carefully around the heavy machinery.

Garbage and recycling collection will not be affected by the plowing operation.

The city expects the operation to cost about $2 million.