The comments on cdapress.com weren’t kind.

The issue: Coeur d’Alene cracking down on people with four or more downtown parking tickets that are at least 45 days old by publishing a “scofflaw” list and slapping boots on wheels that would prevent the offending vehicle from being moved.

“Bad call. Must have friends that own a local towing company.”

“Remember when cda was great. When there was no parking fees. When a local could enjoy the town they pay for. We should eliminate all parking fees downtown and make cda great again.”

“CDA needs to find the fine line between enforcement and greed. If they don’t, they will in fact chase customers out of downtown. We’re already beginning to avoid it.”

And so on.

While booting offenders and trying to publicly shame them does seem harsh by North Idaho’s relatively gentle standards — New York or Chicago we aren’t — the city’s got to do something. The time for ominous words alone is almost up.

Since the city recently launched a collection program, about 4,000 citations have been paid off. These people were wise enough to pay the bill rather than risk having their credit damaged — a risk that non-paying offenders are going to take when the Dec. 31 deadline expires. According to the city, almost 20,000 unpaid tickets will be sent to collections when the new year dawns.

Now, just about anybody can accidentally park a few minutes over two hours and be irked to find a parking ticket under the windshield wiper, but to do so at least four times shows no lesson has been learned. That calls for real penalties, not empty threats.

Research has shown that the greatest offenders aren’t shoppers or diners from elsewhere. They’re people who work downtown. Many play the game of simply moving their cars every two hours, but when they’re unable to do so, tickets can pile up quickly. The city, Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Association all have worked hard to alleviate that particular problem, but for some parkers, the pain of actual enforcement is needed to drive the point home.

We think the city has arrived at that destination.

Break out the boots and let’s kick some bad habits.