Competing plans to change alt-side parking discussed in La Crosse

La Crosse’s city council will debate a change to alternate-side parking rules in the next two weeks. 

On Tuesday night, the council judiciary committee will take up an amendment to delay the start of the winter parking plan until the first two-inch snowfall after Nov. 15. 

Mayor Tim Kabat says many city residents want a change in the current system.

“We heard feedback from (a committee) that it was very unfair that people were getting tickets for failing to comply with alternate-side parking when there was no snow on the ground,” Kabat told the city’s neighborhood revitalization commission on Monday. 

The odd-even rules are in effect for four months each year —Nov. 15-March 15 — but a temporary halt to enforcement ended last week, after it snowed.

Assistant police chief Rob Abraham told the commission that Eau Claire tried emergency snow rules, without much success.

“Our parking utility coordinator had discussions with Eau Claire on why they went back,” Abraham said, “and essentially they said it just didn’t work. People just didn’t listen, they didn’t pay attention.”

The commission proposed a parking change in December, which would put alternate-side rules in effect temporarily, after a snowfall of 2-3 inches.