Imagine, a winter without having to move your car

It almost seems too good to be true. After decades of making people move their cars every night for four months, the city of La Crosse seems poised to largely eliminate alternate-side parking laws. A city council committee has endorsed the idea of only making people move their cars when the snow dictates, not because of the date on the calendar. Under the plan, which the council could approve next week, drivers would only have to move their cars when the city declares a snow emergency. What a concept!  The city has long argued that alternate-side parking was not a money grab. They insisted the policy was needed to keep the streets clear. But even when there is no snow on the ground, and none in the forecast? Police are against the proposed change, in part because it will impact their budget. They argue that other cities, like Eau Claire, adopted a snow emergency rule, but eventually reverted back to alternate-side parking. So because someone somewhere tried something, no one should ever try again? If newly written rules don’t work, or people aren’t following them, La Crosse could always rewrite the rules. The common council has the ability to pass this next week, and let’s hope they do. The only question should be, why didn’t we do this years ago?