Auburn's parking law is a good idea, but it won't be effective without more clarification and public education.

Alternate side parking was formerly in place during only the winter months, to allow snowplows to clear city streets right up to the curbs.

But having it in place year-round makes sense. On many streets, it's impossible for two cars to pass in opposite directions when cars are parked on both sides, and one motorist has to pull to the side to make room for the other - not the safest way for traffic to flow.

And clogged roadways can also make it difficult for emergency vehicles to quickly reach homes where people need help.

The new year-round rule regulation became effective in June, but city officials decided to give people time to get used to the idea before it began ticketing cars. But it failed during that time period to educate the public.

As written, the law is inherently confusing because the daily change begins at 6 p.m., so the 24-hour parking limit includes parts of both odd and even days.

It turns out that at 6 p.m. on even days, drivers should begin parking on the even-numbered side of the street. That means that for 18 hours of the 24-hour period (from midnight to 6 p.m. the following day) vehicles are actually parked on the even side of the street on odd-numbered days - and vice versa.

Confused? So are city officials, some of whom gave completely opposite interpretations of the odd/even hours when asked this week about enforcement.

We suggest the city leave warning notes on vehicles of first-time violators, explaining the rules and giving a phone number that people can call with questions.

Having the law in place won't do any good if people aren't able to follow it because they don't understand it.