Milwaukee, Wis., now gets about $400,000 a year from its $4 monthly charge for permits for nighttime parking on residential streets. The city uses the money to buy and develop land in those areas for off-street parking lots.

Originally, the city forbade all-night parking on any of the city's streets. But in some residential areas—where there was not enough off-street parking— the city recognized the need for some lee-way. It was this recognition that in 1950 led the city to start the system under which permits are issued every month on payment of a $4 fee. Permits allow parking on the even-numbered side of the street on even-numbered days and on the odd-numbered side on the other days. To date, more than 8,000 all-night parking permits are issued each month.

The story of this aspect of Milwaukee's program and of the way in which it augments other parts of the total program is told in the current newsletter of the American Public Works Association.

The decision to charge the $4 fee was made not only to provide more revenue for the city's parking program. It was also made because some people were already paying for private off-street parking in residential areas and because it might encourage others to seek such parking if they had to pay to park on the street.

Another aid in meeting the parking problem is a requirement in Milwaukee's zoning ordinance that provision for off-street parking space must be made before the city gives permission to erect new buildings or enlarge existing ones.

Thus far, the $4 fee has brought in enough money for the city to put four off-street parking lots into operation in residential areas. These lots are located within walking distance of business and industrial areas, so that they fill a twofold purpose of offering all-night parking space for residents and space where employees can park during the day. Both night-time and day-time parkers pay $5 a month to park in these lots.

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High standards of design are followed for the lots in order to preserve the character of the residential area. This also lessens the opposition to such lots by abutting property owners. The lots are surfaced with macadam and have shrubbery on the sides or in front. They are fenced in and have proper lighting, drainage, curbing, and pavement markings. The lots are set back from street lights as far as the set-backs of the properties adjoining them.

The new Milwaukee ordinance provides that each year the city's capital improvements committee will prepare a map dividing all lands the city proposes to take over into four categories: (a) lands to be acquired within the next two years, (b)  lands to be acquired in the third or fourth years, (c)   lands not be acquired for at least five years, and (d) lands involved in final planning for a federally-aided slum clearance and redevelopment project.

When the city building inspector receives an application for a permit to build on lands labeled (a) or (b)—to be acquired within the next four years—the inspector may hold up the permit for 45 days. During that period the council must decide whether to buy the land—or start acquisition proceedings on it immediately—or whether to authorize issuance of the permit.

If the prospective builder wants to build on lands labeled (c) or (d), the permit would be issued with a notice stamped on the front advising the builder not to make any long-term construction investments on the land, since he may not get full benefit from them.

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