Libertyville changes snow parking rule

Winter weather may be just about done for the season but Libertyville officials have changed parking rules to make it easier to clear streets when it snows.

Effective immediately, parking on the street when there is an inch or more of snow is banned for 24 hours or until the street is cleared. The new rule does not apply to the downtown commercial district.

The village board approved the measure Tuesday, but drivers shouldn’t worry even if there is a measurable snow spurt or two still to come.

“Obviously, we want to do some public education before we would begin to enforce that,” Police Chief Clint Herdegen said.

Herdegen and Public Works Director John Heinz suggested the change to make plowing more efficient.

“We wanted to deal with it while it was still fresh in our minds,” Herdegen said.

Vehicles parked on the street hamper snow removal efforts and can leave them boxed in by a wall of snow that has to be removed later.

“We have to move around them,” Heinz said. “If the snow is relatively heavy, it creates issues when it’s moved.”

A ban on street parking in Libertyville from 2 to 6 a.m. no matter the circumstance remains in effect.

During an inch or more snow, the old rule prohibited parking from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The new 24-hour rule comes with a potentially stiff fine of $10 to $500 for each hour the parking violation continues.

The exception is in the central business district, which includes Milwaukee Avenue from Broadway Avenue north to Lake Street and some adjoining side streets, Heinz said.

A public information campaign regarding the snow parking ban is planned before the next winter.

Snow has been above normal the past three winters, and street clearing took on a new dimension less than two months ago with the Blizzard of 2011 on Feb. 1 and 2.

Libertyville submitted about $113,000 in expenses for that 48-hour period, including overtime and equipment costs, that are eligible for federal reimbursement. Lake County and 59 other counties in Illinois on March 17 were declared federal disaster areas because of the storm.