Trustees Agree Overnight Parking Ban Should Stay, Improvements Needed

The board opened the overnight parking ban discussion in September, when trustees asked for a history of the parking ban to better understand why it's in place, and how they could improve it for residents.

Oak Park Interim Parking Services Manager Jill Velan said the ban has been in effect since 1937. It was first challenged in 1975, when a ticket holder sued the village to contest the validity of the ban. The ordinance was upheld. 

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In 1980, two village ordinances established overnight parking for residents in the form of parking enclaves in cul-de-sacs and parkways, and allowed overnight parking along the railroad tracks and I-290, she said. 

The village adopted an ordinance to allow overnight parking, similar to what's currently in place, in the early 90s, after studies showed people weren't really even following the ban. Additional ordinances since 1994 increased the locations that allowed overnight parking. 

Trustee Adam Salzman said the only way to arrive at a policy decision on the issue would be to first hear from residents in different areas of the community. 

Trustee Peter Barber said while the village's Transportation Commission should look at broader, more long-term ways to improve parking in Oak Park, there are some short-term improvements staff can make. 

"There are unquestionably better ways of trying to get overnight passes (than spending up to 20 or 30 minutes on the phone)," he said. 

Village President Anan Abu-Taleb said residents have two concerns: the number of passes they get and the process by which they get it. He said some improvements could be made quickly by staff without the need for more time-consuming commission studies and discussion. 

Trustees asked staff to come back with a recommendation to craft an ordinance to allow additional guest passes as one first step. They also agreed the village should look at the issue on a more comprehensive level. 

According to a village staff memo, the village's parking fund employs 17.5 full time employees. Parking services generated approximately $5.8 million in revenues in 2012, with about $3.7 million expenditures, according to the memo. Parking citation fines are not part of the Parking Fund revenues. 

According to the memo, the village has the following responsibilities related to parking:

• Manage the annual sale of approximately 27,500 vehicle stickers to residents of Oak Park who own or lease a vehicle. 
  
• Manage approximately 3,600 permits for 24-hour parking, daytime parking and overnight parking that are sold each quarter. 
• Manage approximately 1,800 permits for 16 parking zones that are sold each quarter and allow zone residents to park on-street, overnight. 
• Manage more than 2,300 parking garage spaces. Oversee daily utilization of these parking areas and associated maintenance and revenue collection activities. 
• Manage more than 1,700 parking pay-by-space/metered spaces that provide daytime parking in business districts throughout the Village. 
• Oversee the daily utilization of these parking spaces and associated maintenance and revenue collection activities. 
• Manage other temporary parking needs for residents related to a variety of activities such as construction, home-health care, etc. 
• Manage issuance of approximately 72,000 individual on-street overnight, daytime and extended parking passes that are issued each year for residents and their visitors. 
• Manage approximately 2,000 permits for residents (and their visitors) to park on street, in front of their residences and override the daytime parking restrictions that apply to all other non-permitted vehicles that are sold annually. 
• Work with the citizen transportation commission to review on-street parking restrictions.