Regina is preparing a new bylaw for extension cords extended across sidewalks. (CBC)

The City of Regina is set to relax a bylaw that prohibits the use of extension cords across sidewalks.

Instead of an outright ban, the city is suggesting a tweaked bylaw that talks about extension cords which pose a hazard.

The proposal was on the agenda of a committee of city council Tuesday, and seemed to go over well.

Coun. Bob Hawkins said he thought the change was a good idea.

"We live in a harsh climate," Hawkins told CBC News. "People have cars. They've got to be plugged in. So long as the cord does not obstruct or pose a danger to anyone, I have no problem with allowing people to plug their cars in on the street."

Hawkins said he would expect people to ensure their cords were not a tripping hazard, for example, and were visible.

Hawkins said extension cords are a fact of life in the neighbourhoods he represents.

"You can barely go down a street in my ward these days without seeing cars plugged in," Hawkins said. "We live in a harsh climate, this is something that we've got to take into account when making public policy. Cars have to start in the morning."

The revamped bylaw will return to city council for further discussion in February.

The idea of a change was sparked when, in 2010, a Regina man was fined $60 for running his extension cord across a sidewalk.

Shortly after that case came to light, city council of the day asked administration officials to look into the issue.

With files from CBC's Dean Gutheil