Home of 18 Wheels for Bubba passes truck parking ban

There are so many news items regarding truck parking that they have to be condensed into a monthly roundup called The Parking Zone. Sometimes, there’s a parking story that deserves its own spotlight. The situation in Milton, Wis., is one of those parking stories.

Just a week ago, the city of Milton was featured in September’s edition of The Parking Zone. At the time, the city was mulling over an ordinance that would ban parking. One version allowed locals to park their cabs at home. Another did not.

A final vote was held on Tuesday, Oct. 1. With a 6-1 vote, the city council passed an ordinance that bans truck parking on all city streets except one: Commerce Way. Truckers cannot park at home either. Milton Council Member Ryan Holbrook was the lone dissenter.

By the way, here’s Commerce Way:

You’re probably asking yourself, “What makes this case so special? I read The Parking Zone every month, and this happens all the time.”

If Milton, Wis., doesn’t ring any bells, let me jog your memory. Last year, Land Line Associate Editor Mark Schremmer wrote a heartwarming story about Dakota “Bubba” Cadd. Bubba has Dandy-Walker Syndrome. And, Bubba loves trucks.

In August 2018, more than 180 trucks and more than 1,000 people attended “18 Wheels for Bubba” to celebrate his 16^th birthday. It was another story about how truckers will go to great lengths to do good things for complete strangers. Check out this aerial shot of the event:

Truckers took time out of their busy schedules to celebrate a stranger’s birthday. With all the great publicity surrounding the event, the city had no problem accepting the truckers then. Now that the media train has left, Milton has turned into your typical NIMBY city when it comes to truck parking.

Milton, Wis., highlights the steep uphill battle truckers face when it comes to parking. Even a city like Milton easily passes a parking ban ordinance. A city where this kid lives:

This city received its 15 minutes of fame because of a kid’s love for trucks. Bubba may still see trucks drive through Milton, but they may not stop there as much now.

Even local truckers have only one option to park their cab. If more than four truckers live there, they’ll be fighting for that limited space on Commerce Way.

By the way, this is not a dig on the city of Milton. Councilmembers did what they felt was best for the city based on residents’ feedback. That’s their job, and they did just that.

The problem here is that if a city like Milton can easily pass a truck parking ban, then absolutely nowhere is safe from a parking ban. And that is the real truck parking problem.