The City of Pullman’s recent proposal to restrict parking on streets during spring, fall and winter breaks will inconvenience students and residents alike. The proposal, which would require drivers to move their cars from streets on College Hill, highlights the need for clearer communication between residents, city officials and other local partners.

For College Hill residents, this potential restriction may come as a surprise. Inclement weather makes driving home difficult, so many students, staff and faculty leave their cars in Pullman during the holidays. For these people, the parking restrictions would make finding a place to store their cars a challenge.

To remedy this, the city and WSU Transportation Services would allow parking at one on-campus parking lot across campus from College Hill. This parking lot has a total capacity of 175-200 vehicles, Transportation Services Director John Shaheen said. Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said that the restrictions would affect 350 street parking spots, though he added that the number of vehicles displaced would be somewhat less during the upcoming breaks.

Shaheen said the lot, which is normally restricted to permit holders, would be open to all residents for a “reasonable window of time.”

While offering alternative parking during the breaks is certainly better than nothing at all, it is difficult to imagine that parking this far from College Hill is a reasonable alternative.

While these restrictions are clearly born out of a concern for public safety — and it is true that safety outweighs any inconvenience that the restrictions may cause — relegating all College Hill residents to a single parking lot on the east side of campus is not an optimal solution.

Not only do many people leave their cars in Pullman during breaks, but many others stay in town during breaks as well. These people would need either to leave their cars in the lot at all times or drive back and forth daily.

“It’s an added burden to move your car,” Cougar Choice Housing Director Heidi Stallman said. She added that she is concerned about how effectively the designated parking lot would be maintained.

Instead of depending on a single on-campus parking lot to compensate for the loss in street parking, city officials should try reaching out to community members that have their own lots, such as business owners near College Hill. For example, Stallman mentioned the lot near Adams Mall as an option. The city should contact these private owners and discuss the idea of purchasing short-term parking for the coming breaks.

Stallman noted that many Greek houses have parking lots that could help accommodate additional vehicles as well. While these parking lots are private property, the city should reach out to these chapters and discuss the potential of temporarily renting them.

If the city passes the proposal to restrict parking during most breaks, it should communicate this plan clearly to students early on in the semester so they can plan ahead, find solutions and give feedback. Winter weather in Pullman is a long-term concern. It wasn’t until October that the proposed plans were communicated to the public. In the future, the city should be proactive in notifying residents about these rules, so that students can plan ahead and search for solutions.

Both the city and WSU should work on long-term solutions that would keep the streets accessible and safe, and minimize the cost in convenience and time to people who would have to move their cars.