For a cleaner sweep of Boston

Boston's street sweepers, who returned to most city neighborhoods this week, have an especially hard time in South Boston, where cramped streets of parked cars impede the swift completion of their rounds. So it's good that Southie is testing a promising new system to get residents to move their cars.

First, the city is changing the start time for street-sweeping from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The hope is that more people will have left for work and taken their cars with them.

District City Councilor Bill Linehan is also filing an ordinance that would eliminate towing by private companies; instead, the parking fine would increase from $40 to $100. Linehan expects to hold a hearing on the ordinance sometime next month.

Under the old system, a violator could get towed and ticketed, or just ticketed. "There's an imbalance on the enforcement piece," said Linehan. His proposal should eliminate the arbitrariness of who gets towed and who doesn't. It also has the virtue of sending more money back to the city.

Currently, about one out of every four cars gets a ticket and a tow, which adds up to an average of $110. The city receives only about $25 for each towed vehicle, with the balance of the money going to the private towing companies. With a $100 ticket, the city would get $100.

If the new sweep time works in South Boston, it could be extended citywide. "The ultimate goal is not to ticket. The ultimate goal is not to tow," Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Timlin told the Globe. "The ultimate goal is a clean street."

The ultimate solution might be to increase the frequency of street cleanings; currently 60 percent of the city gets swept just once every two weeks. In the meantime, Linehan's plan is a breath of fresh air.