A split City Council banned the parking of recreational vehicles on Colorado Springs streets Tuesday in an effort to unclog roadways and reduce waste dumped into waterways.

The 4-to-3 vote came at the request of police, who say they often get complaints about parked RVs and trash and human waste that sometimes is near them. Council members Yolanda Avila, Jill Gaebler and Dave Geislinger voted against the ban.

“I’m concerned about the humanity of this,” Avila said. “We are targeting our most vulnerable population. These people that live in RVs are families.”

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RVs already are banned from parking on residential streets, but the new ordinance extends that ban citywide.

A $25 fine would come with the first ticket, $100 for the second and $125 for the third. A fourth violation would result in a court summons.

Avila and others argued that the ordinance essentially criminalizes homelessness in a city that already bans public camping, panhandling and sitting or lying in many public spaces.

Geislinger said the new ban likely will force RV dwellers to relocate, but it won’t solve the problem.

“We’re just going to move people along,” he said. “That’s the demonstrated pattern, and it’s frustrating.”

But Mayor John Suthers has said the new ordinance addresses serious health and safety issues.

RV residents “position themselves in such a way that it’s close to an inlet, and basically they’re flushing their sewage,” Suthers said.

Council President Richard Skorman reiterated that argument but also said the city needs to find other places for RVs to go.

Gaebler said, “All these folks are just going to move back into the residential areas, which is a lot more concerning to me.”

But RVs still won’t be allowed on residential streets, Suthers said, and residents should report any violations.

Gaebler expressed skepticism that police would enforce the ban as well in residential areas as in commercial areas.

Councilman Andy Pico said officers do enforce the ban in neighborhoods. He said he doubted that RVs will return there, though he acknowledged that city officials have played “whack-a-mole” with the underlying problem.

“Where are they going to move to? That’s a darn good question,” Pico said.

But while the ordinance might not immediately solve the underlying problem, he said, it was needed.