Parking in Denver can be painful.

For those who live and work in the city, seeing parking spaces dominated by large vehicles, inoperable or not, can be frustrating.

Enter District 7 Councilman Jolon Clark, who has proposed adjusting parking regulations in the city.

One of Clark’s changes makes it easier for residents and workers to park, removing the requirement that a car be moved 100 feet after 72 hours.

Another made regulations more strict as related to so called junkers – a vehicle that is inoperable or disabled and blocking a public right of way.

At-Large Councilwoman Robin Kniech asked if it would be possible to require some form of outreach before a junker or other vehicle is towed. District 6 Councilman Paul Kashmann agreed, saying outreach should be required.

Marley Bordovsky of the Denver City Attorney’s Office said, in her opinion, an outreach requirement may bring enforcement to a screeching halt.

At-large Councilwoman Debbie Ortega, highlighting staffing issues citywide, also expressed concern about enforcement.

“The priority may be low depending on which agency is responsible for enforcement,” she said. 

The city’s right of way services team – part of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure – are able to do their job quite well, according to District 4 Councilwoman Kendra Black. She’s seen cases where city employees leave multiple tickets on an abandoned car before towing it. 

But this is not so in every district. 

“Enforcement is much easier in suburban areas. It’s not the same in the urban core,” District 9 Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca said. “We need a scalpel to address this issue. These changes are all over the place.”

Clark showed an openness to adjustments, but stopped short at putting specific requirements into the bill. Instead he suggested the city approach parking similarly to snow shoveling. 

“With shoveling, the ordinance requires residents and businesses to remove snow ‘immediately,’ but we’ve clarified what that means exactly,” he said. “I’d rather send a message with an ordinance and then clarify our expectations with a rule.”