Biking advocate pro paid parking on La Crosse streets

City begun talks to end free, two-hour parking downtown.

A biking advocate says free parking in downtown La Crosse is a dinosaur.

Robbie Young, on La Crosse’s bike and pedestrian committee, advocates to make the push for paid parking on downtown streets now.

He says it’s counterproductive economically for the city to continue to offer taxpayer-subsidized, free parking downtown.

“You’re not going to see that economic benefit for enabling those cars to come downtown and park for free,” Young said.

He believes more people will travel downtown using alternative form of transportation like bikes and buses, if subsidized parking is stopped.

“We also have a number of people who live within walking or biking distance of their destination who are enabled to drive their vehicle whenever they want,” he said. “Sometimes all you have to do is just stop enabling automobile transit as much.”

Young is siding with those now looking at replacing the city’s two-hour, free parking with paid parking on the streets.  

No moves have begun in that direction, yet. Just talks with action not expected for at least a year.  

The talks about paid parking downtown come as the city council moves to approve a better approach to enforce the current two-hour free parking rules.