Parking Pilot Program Archive

This is going to make commuter parking ridiculous and worse by public transportation. It sounds as if all of the permitted parkers will now be able to override the time limits on streets, meaning all of the permitted parkers in the zone can Park by public transportation where there is currently a two hour limit. This is worse. No one will use the metered spots which are hardly used now. I also would like to see a guest pass that residents can provide their guests to hang by their rear view mirror which will allow guests to override the time limits as well. Why are we making it so difficult for visitors that need all day parking?

This presentation is hard to follow and the power point is unreadable full screen. Please post the .pdf.

Parking on Lombard and North Ave, is a nightmare for residents that reside in the building there are many apartments and businesses all vying for adequate parking, especially overnight Why should I have to park in Chicago, when I live in Oak Park? The question for me becomes is this about race, because the building residents are 100 percent African American. There’s parking provided for residents on Madison and Ridgeland, where more Caucasian residents reside. The business owners and their employees All park on Lombard Street in the day time to avoid the meters on North Ave, which has resulted in no substantial income. Why are they there? If you’re asking residents who reside at 1242 N. Lombard to use nearby parking facility becomes a safety hazard, due to the increase in crime in Oak Park. I hope you will rethink your stance and allow people to park where they reside, anything less than that, shows an insensitiveness to Oak Park Residents, especially African Americans, who just want to live like normal residents and park their cars like normal residents.

This doesn't simplify anything, it’s so confusing! You realize that people have guests and they wouldn't be registered, where are they supposed to park? This is the most ridiculous proposal I have ever seen, not to mention it doesn't help anyone north of Lake. I live on a street with all multi units and there's no parking allowed. I'm sorry but it’s not 1958 anymore. Times are changing and you need a better solution. When is your next parking meeting to address parking on that side too? It seems like this is all a scam to get more money from residents, the parking garages are forced and the fees are outrageous.

Now we would have to pay meters til 8pm?! Give us a break, Oak Park!

Extending the meter rates two hours is yet another tax to live here - I'm firmly against that. I'm also against requiring residents of a block to obtain a permit to park on their own block, in front of their own home during the daytime. If we're converting the 8-10 ban into something like an 8-8(with 3hr restriction) then there should be a carve out for vehicles registered to a house on that block. Having to pay $70/yr for that privilege doesn't seem very just.

I don’t care anymore. The Village has made it more and more miserable to park. It is obvious that those that need to drive are not welcome, so I take my spending dollars elsewhere and I don’t encourage anyone to come here to shop anymore. Between the lack of parking and the meter maids, the Village has taken the charm out of bring in Oak Park.

With all due respect but I disagree in regard of the 2 hour increase in the meter extension. Living in Oak Park has become increasingly expensive, how can we call our village “sanctuary” when the wealthy are the only ones who can afford it?

After the vehicle sticker rates just went up significantly, I'm very concerned that the village is considering extending the paid parking hours to 8 pm. I'm strongly opposed to this.

Adding meters on Madison where they don’t already exist?
Using license plate technology to automatically up parking costs from $1 to $3 after 3 hrs?
Adding meter charges after 6pm until 8pm?
4 time blocks during each 24 hr period during which parking either is or isn’t allowed?
This is a revenue grab!!!

Unnecessary complexity. This study will definitely keep me away from the areas which are in this pilot program. Plus, spending money on this technology while sidewalks are cracked and crumbling, while carjackings and auto theft continue to occur, while we struggle to upgrade village lighting -it’s not a responsible use of taxpayer funds.

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to study and review parking in Oak Park. As a resident on a street with a no parking from 8-10 I really appreciate the change to a 3 hr time limit and the option for resident permits. This restriction has cost many visitors and service providers difficulties and even tickets.
One part of the proposal I disagree with is changing the meter end time from 6pm to 8pm. Although it allows a turnover I think it will deter people from visiting Oak Park businesses in the evening. At least now if you drive into town for dinner and a movie you know you can possibly park for free if you come around 6. I have to pay to park to go to so many of our local businesses when I run errands during the day. I really appreciate not having to pay a meter if I choose Oak Park as my destination in the evening. I often have family members suggest another town for lunch because they will need to pay to park here- let’s not do that to the evening also.
Thank you for listening to my comments.

After reviewing the signage I fell they’re simple and understandable. However I do object to increasing the parking

I am continually frustrated and angry with the village for
disallowing the right to park in front of my own residence before 10am. I recently got a ticket for being parked on the street so that repair workers could get up and down my single lane driveway. Am I supposed to sit on the bumper of my car and deflect the tickets the whole time my driveway is in use? This makes no sense. We pay enough in taxes, I don't need to pay more to use the street directly in front of my home.

Raising expectations, only not to deliver, is always a mistake.

As a 47 year resident of Oak Park, I've heard this call for on-street overnight parking more than once. The complaint: I want to be able to park in front of my own building.

Fundamental analysis reveals, on a block with mostly apartment buildings, say 48-60 rental units on just one side of the street, potentially there are at least 48 to 60 +/- cars that need parking on just one side of the street. On that same block, there may only be 14 parking spots available on each side of the street, even fewer on the east-west streets.

The likelihood that you will be able to park "in front of your building" 100 percent of the time is extremely low. If you work 2nd or 3rd shift, like some medical professionals do, the likelihood that you'll be able to park in front of your building on even on you own block after work is slim.

Homeowners are consistently referred to as "Stakeholders" in this project. By definition, a stakeholder is someone who has an interest or gain upon successful completion of a project. There is no deliverable listed that could possibly benefit home-owning stakeholders in this Pilot Program. In fact, there is only downside. Homeowners have pointed this out on many occasions to the Transportation Commission, the Village Board and the Village Mayor. Surely we were heard. If this pilot moves forward, apparently, they do not care.

However, I do support the automation of the permit process and enforcement (because I know it's currently a pain), though I do know more than one systems professional who questions whether the cost for implementation has been properly assessed.

If you need to stop by the middle school in the morning to quickly drop off a form or a forgotten lunch, it becomes a 5 minute walk for a 90 second errand. If you want to run into the library to pick up a book on reserve, a free service comes with a parking fee. If you are a minimum wage employee of an Oak Park business and have to pay for parking during your shift, your pay effectively drops below minimum wage. If you put some quarters in a meter to run into a local shop to buy a few items, but the check out line is unexpectedly long, you might come out to a $30 parking ticket. These are only a few examples of how Oak Park parking rules and fees are frustrating to residents and their guests and are a deterrent to would-be patrons of the local businesses.

Increasing the meter time from 6pm to 8pm impacts folks like us who like to like to go downtown for dinner. That part is simply a cash grab with no logical basis in "improving" the parking situation at all. I don't support this.

That and several of the other changes are just transferring burden & expense onto the residents, who are already carrying the majority of the load for the village. If the goal is to stop being a village and just become Chicago, well then we're definitely on the fast track.

1. I'd recommend that the cost of the program not exceed net new revenue created by the parking changes (e.g. permit revenue from additional spots) - AND/OR - that the cost of the program should be paid for by the drivers immediately/directly benefiting from the changes.

2. In light of rising violent crimes in OP, police input should be gathered on any changes to parking and how it might impact crime and their ability to monitor the area.

3. The program should examine making more streets one-way, and have angled pull-in parking to increase the number of cars that can park on a given block.

4. Metered parking should copy Chicago's hours and rates for residential districts ($2/hr from 8am to 10pm). For areas with a garage within a 0.2 mile radius, metered-spot rates should be $4/hr. Garage rates should be much cheaper to encourage their use, and help with metered spot turn-over. People will complain that it's just another tax... and it is - roads are expensive, and pensions don't fund themselves.

5. Improving last mile bus connection to Green line, blue line, and Metra would reduce commuter vehicle/parking dependence. OP PACE buses run infrequently and often behind schedule. The pilot program fails to address some root causes for parking dependence.

6. The fact that there's a presentations on all these parking regulations and how to read the new sign is a strong indicator that it's too complicated. People are going to be upset when/if these changes go into effect and they get a ton of tickets because they misinterpreted the signage.

Bottom line is if a home owner, or renter in Oak Park doesn't have a parking spot/garage, it's because they can't afford to rent, or purchase a home with a parking spot, or garage. No one would purposely subject themselves to the cost & frustration involved with permit parking in Oak Park. I rented for many, years & have owned a condo for 12 years, both had no parking, so I've been forced to pay for a permit, and be subjected to this nightmare of a system, with no guarantee that I'll even have a place to park when I come home. Don't even think of having social life, or company. On Harvey there are 2 different systems to allow your friend, or family to stay overnight. You have to go online to get them approved for overnight, then call in their car to allow them to park from 6am-8am. You are allowed 3 per year then they're are $7.00 each. As a condo owner who can not afford to buy a home with parking I pay the same property taxes as condo/homeowners who can afford to own a home with parking. I do not however get the same benefits. The village needs to come up with a way that doesn't punish those of us who own, but can't afford to buy a home that includes parking. One very simple thing that would help a little is to paint lines on the street (i.e Washington Blvd.) to mark the spots, very often people take up more than one spot. Whatever you do, please remember why residents have parking permits in the first place, it's because there is no other option for us. Make resident parking a priority & only make changes that improve our quality of life, not make it worse than it is already.

I reside on South Grove Avenue between Randolph and Washington. I have attended three public transportation commission meetings about the parking pilot; and also attended a meeting with the mayor on this issue. I urge the transportation commission not to recommend the parking pilot to trustees. The parking pilot is a hammer looking for a nail. It will cause more problems than it can possibly solve.

I second the comment above about not being able to park in front of my own house from 8-10 a.m. I understand the purpose of these restricted hours near public transit, but if one has a village parking sticker (as I do) and is parked in front of his/her own house for a short period of time, does that really warrant a $40 ticket? Complete insanity, a blatant money grab, and utter disrespect to the citizens who diligently pay their property taxes and other fees. Find a way to make an exception. Be flexible and creative. I will also add that your appeal process is a joke. It was pretty clear to me that the ALJ did not even read my explanation for being inside my house for longer than the expected 30 seconds. Government at its absolute worst.

During my time in Oak Park, I have been both a condo owner who used overnight permitted street parking and a single family home owner with a garage. When in our condo, I fought for years to have the building frontage of our condo building well protected for our condo owners to use for their parking when we lived there. But even then, I was opposed to opening up all residential areas to overnight parking. This would significantly and negatively effect our community as a whole and should be thoroughly resisted by our citizens.

Reasons to maintain the overnight ban include:
1. Safety: More cars parked on the street means more accidents and more difficulty for drivers visualizing pedestrians.
2. Snow removal: Picture Chicago streets and the ridiculous mess that occurs during major snow.
3. Cleanliness, Appearance and therefore property value for single family homes.
4. Use of streets by guests.

The proposal in its current Final Staff Recommendation, still does not address these primary objections:
-This program would increase available parking in our area to 1700 spaces, rather than solving for the 150 spaces that are needed for permit parkers.
-Any area close to train stations would become a commuter parking lot. Why use the meters or parking garage, when $70 a year means on-street, anywhere parking?
-Let’s not avoid the obvious, this IS overturning the Overnight Parking Ban
-The Abatement Day solution, means that cars can park for 6 days straight without moving, heavy machinery would be on the streets during the day for cleaning and leaf removal - and snow removal is expected to be done on this one day a week. This is a ridiculous proposal.

Put the new Pay-by-Plate technology in place, standardize the time limits to 3-hours, but don’t take away our zones and don’t allow permit parking on every street.
Please keep this environmentally, un-green initiative off the table and keep the excess cars off the streets. This plan will change the historic character of our village forever. Oak Park deserves better.

I See signs of no parking in the NB10 section. where i do pay 3 month fee to park there 24hrs. so what do i suppose to do about parking>> anyone has information on thiss....

I think there should be some reciprocity with permits. For example, if I’m an Oak Park resident that needs to park at a friends house for whatever reason after 2:30am I shouldn’t have to worry about being ticketed. I don’t like the extension of metered parking to 8pm. Paying more when I already pay an increase rate to park my SUV won’t encourage me to patronize the businesses. It seems that each year I have to get home earlier and earlier to find a decent spot around my place. I don’t like risking having to park down by the BP on Chicago Ave especially with all the crime that migrated from across Austin. I agree there should be a guest tag we can place in cars. I wouldn’t be opposed to a small fee for that temporary parking.

The more complicated and expensive parking becomes, the less people will want to live here and visit, especially to go to the movies or a restaurant, where they have to face the dreaded task of finding a spot, especially on a weekend night. With all the high rises going up and taking our parking lots, it seems there is never a spot outside of the Holley Court garage, which with crime going up is not my favorite place to park. Extending the time we are charged to 8pm will discourage people from going to DTOP and they will likely instead hit up LaGrange or other nearby suburbs with *gasp!* free parking. The high rises bring more revenue in the form of property taxes and building ownership, but if it's making parking harder and more costly, then it's not worth it in my opinion. Get ready to see many businesses close and/or move outside of OP.

In the more than 30 years I've lived here both as a renter and homeowner, we've discussed and modified parking many times. Residents are always opposed to lifting the overnight parking ban, extending paid hours and needing permits to park near their own residences. So why are we doing all of these things that people have been and continue to be opposed to?

Increasing fees, I can understand. I can kind of agree to extending the paid hours to after 8. But we do not need any more restrictions or new permit requirements for the village. And we definitely don't need more changes to time limits. It's already inconvenient to purchase passes for guests, and if someone lives in an area that will require additional permits and have new time limits, it's an added inconvenience.

Implementing pay by plate technology on Madison is going to be a real annoyance. Most times we just want to go in and out, and we can do that very well now, and in Forest Park and River Forest. Why change that? Leaving that as-is is a much more friendly and welcoming policy. Seems like we keep breaking things that are working just fine.

I am not sure when it became the Villages responsibility to ensure landlords provide parking for their tenants. I see many rental units with garages... why not tear down the garages and create parking areas behind the houses. The parking issue should be the responsibility of the landlord as they are the ones making the money on the units. I am totally against this and believe that if the village proceeds, it will only make Oak Park look more like Berwyn than the nice quite neighborhoods of Oak Park.

Parking is already a mess
Submitted by Valencia on Wed, 2018-04-18 14:30
In the more than 30 years I've lived here both as a renter and homeowner, we've discussed and modified parking many times. Residents are always opposed to lifting the overnight parking ban, extending paid hours and needing permits to park near their own residences. So why are we doing all of these things that people have been and continue to be opposed to? Increasing fees I can understand. I can kind of agree to extending the paid hours to after 8. But we do not need any more restrictions or new permit requirements for the village. And we definitely don't need more changes to time limits. It's already inconvenient to purchase passes for guests, and if someone lives in an area that will require additional permits and have new time limits, it's an added inconvenience.

Implementing pay by plate technology on Madison is going to be a real annoyance. Most times we just want to go in and out, and we can do that very well now, and in Forest Park and River Forest. Why change that? Leaving that as-is is a much more friendly and welcoming policy. Seems like we keep breaking things that are working just fine.

It is not necessary to charge parking on Madison Ave. There is plenty of parking that is always available during the day and evening. Charging will just make it worse on local businesses. I HIGHLY DISAGREE with extending meters to 8PM. We are a village, NOT downtown Chicago. DO NOT GOUGE our local businesses and local residents. I purposely avoid places when I am expected to always pay to park. Oak Park is losing it's beautiful. DO NOT EXTEND RESTRICTED AREAS TO SATURDAYS! This does a HUGE disservice to the community. What Oak Park has allowed to happen to the downtown area is already awful (as a resident, I now avoid that area like the plague because of the terrible traffic conditions created).

I will add more later, but I'm going to copy and paste what an above commenter posted:

The proposal in its current Final Staff Recommendation, still does not address these primary objections:
-This program would increase available parking in our area to 1700 spaces, rather than solving for the 150 spaces that are needed for permit parkers.
-Any area close to train stations would become a commuter parking lot. Why use the meters or parking garage, when $70 a year means on-street, anywhere parking?
-Let’s not avoid the obvious, this IS overturning the Overnight Parking Ban
-The Abatement Day solution, means that cars can park for 6 days straight without moving, heavy machinery would be on the streets during the day for cleaning and leaf removal - and snow removal is expected to be done on this one day a week. This is a ridiculous proposal.

This program is ridiculous and does not solve the issue that RESIDENTS have. This proposal does not fix the primary problem...RESIDENTIAL PARKING! Get it together, Oak Park. This is a terrible proposal.

I am vehemently against easing the parking ban.

It is a problem for guests to park overnight. Please add a pass to put on their car, rearview mirror, or dash that residents can give out for them. Especially on weekend nights.

I find the parking regulations too complex! Why not just have paid meters that you can access through your credit card or
the parking app? That is the easiest tool, it works well for Chicago, so you can add time while away from your car.

I do not support changing the overnight parking ban

Every year Oak Park makes it harder for its residents to enjoy living here. Parking is a hassle and unnecessarily expensive. I have been working in OP for 5 years, living for the last 3. I have gotten so many tickets because my meeting ran late and I was 10 min late to move my car. This year alone I paid over $120 in parking tickets. When the parking pass rates went up last year, I started considering moving. I am moving out of OP in August. Love the neighborhood! But can not afford (time and money) to deal with parking.
The city should think long and hard about the parking situation.

I am against this. I vote NO!

I would like to know what you are doing to stop people from using our blocks near downtown as parking. Some nights when I get home from work If there is an event downtown it is nearly impossible to find a parking space and I end up parking a block away from my apartment. Then when I come out in the morning at 6 am to leave for work the street is empty. I think on streets near the downtown area night parking should start earlier.

I pay way too much money to park on a street about 5 blocks from my apartment. I can not have over night guests more than a few times due to it not being allowed. I can't afford to park in Oak park. I can afford to live there but not to park.

One again Oak Park government raids your wallet by making simple things complicated and complicated things incomprehensible?
Creating a set of ridiculous and perplexing rules meant only to divert your attention while they pick your pocket through increased payment times, increased fees, and punishing parking tickets. Plus now they want to track your movements by tracking when and where you park by license plate. i guess Big Brother is watching.
Oak Park is becoming more unbearable every day so to paraphrase the Animals lyrics "I've gotta get out of this place If its the last thing I ever do"

Another user above of a Y3 parking permit also made a comment on parking on Washington Blvd between Marion & Wisconsin. With the install of the traffic light at Wisconsin and Washington the residents in the condo buildings in this area have lost at least 100 parking spaces. No alternative was provided. I implore you to paint lines on the streets to outline parking spaces as many people take up to 2 spaces. Also, the 2 day 8-10 AM ban on Tues and Wed. has made it even more difficult to find parking. It has essentially become a nightmare.

I agree with no parking on 1 side of the street 1 day per week, but not the entire day.

The parking permits go UP every year and I am not sure what the reasoning is behind this to have a 20% increase per year. Most of my friends and family will not visit me as they need to evacuate after 11pm. Well, what if they wanted to stay til 1am? NOPE!

Anyway, I don't know why this is all so difficult and tedious. the signs are ridiculous and hard to decipher, especially for people that visit and are no familiar.

No overnight parking. It is a tool for additional crime. Make businesses and apartment owners solve there parking problem!

1. It's hard enough to find parking and it was nice to be able to park after 6 without worrying about additional costs. Definitely don't agree with addition meter hours.
2. 3-hr max and then such a high increase definitely is not conductive to staying downtown for an extended time period, i.e., movie and a meal. An addition $1 would be acceptable.
Parking in the village has always been a problem; lack of spaces and so many rules and regulations! Adding all the high-rise bldgs being built so closely together has also taken even more parking spaces. I now avoid the downtown area as much as possible.

Sorry to say but if you are increasing meter time to 8pm, we will be dining elsewhere. This whole parking plan is confusing and to not allow some residents the right to park near their property when we all are paying such ridiculous taxes! Are you kidding me!
Please do not allow overnight parking on our streets. This will ruin Oak Park.

Between Longfellow school and the Arts district businesses, there are many days, except Sundays, that I can't find a spot near my own front door. People park personal and commercial vehicles for days and nights on end, yet I've received a ticket at 0530 while loading my son's car up to return to college.

I understand this is a complicated issue and everyone has different wants and needs. For me, I take the train for work so I my car is parked on the street during the day and then I pay for a permit in order to park overnight. I would love to park in front of my building but that is not possible as all parking in front of my building has been eliminated. So now I'm happy if I can just park on my block on my street. I live within a few blocks of CTA/Metra so I understand having 2 or 3 hour limits on streets near the train but what are residents to do? I really like living in Oak Park except for dealing with parking. Buying a single family home with a garage or a condo unit with parking isn't in the cards for me. And, on top of that, I don't feel that I should have to move in order to park my car near where I live.
Also on the subject of increasing meter times for downtown. Why would you do that? It's just going to make people not want to go downtown where they would have to pay a meter.
I found the power point hard to read and understand so I'm not sure that I'm addressing everything but overall I haven't seen a lot of good that will come out of this. And based on the other comments, I think a lot of other people feel the same way.

Parking is allowed on Kenilworth near Unity Temple during daytime and it is very busy with tourists, post office customers and others competing for spaces. But my issue is overnight when parking is prohibited -- it makes no sense to prohibit because the post office is closed, there are no tours at Unity and there is no competition for spaces. Please consider dropping this overnight prohibition.

1. I saw one of the new trial signs. It was confusing. Sure, you can figure it after looking at it for awhile, but a parking sign should never have to be studied in order to understand it. Geezus, I'm just trying to park, not study for a final exam with the risk of being ticketed if I don't pass it.

2. I'm currently paying $7 a night to park on the street overnight in front of my house as my garage is temporarily inaccessible while a roofing crew works on my house for a week. Sure, you get three overnight freebies, but then it's time to pony up more dough. I understand the concept of overnight parking restrictions, but this is yet another pure money grab. I can't get a break for a week or two while a construction crew works at my place? After already paying Oak Park $200 for a permit? And $14K in property taxes?

Beautiful Village .. historic district .. home of Frank,.. Ernst,.. etc. Empty words. People use cars and need parking. I am sure a lot of residentes are using their garages as storages, I know because I see. In this life nothing is free, even death. So give comfort to visitors or customers and ... pay for excess time.