That's no solution to parking problem

Recently Elgin resident Fred Moulton gave us his permanent overnight parking ban solution in the Courier News Valley Views column. He proposes a city wide overnight ban on parking on our tax payer funded streets of Elgin. In newer neighborhoods with a two car driveway an overnight parking ban on both sides of the street and in older neighborhoods with one car garages an odd-even side of street solution. This solution of hisdoes not even address the "problem" that has the city possibly testing a solution in a few neighborhoods. According to the city the "problem" is picking up the leaves and plowing the snow more efficiently. That is why the city is considering an odd-even ban that would also be in the daytime as well as overnight if I understand the city's proposal correctly. I made a point to observe all the parking on my street last Thanksgiving and Christmas as I knew the proposal to take away our tax payer on street parking was coming in the near future. If there had been odd-even parking those days city wide the quality of life would be impacted greatly for residents as well as their relatives and visiting guests who were looking for places to park. Thanksgiving would literally be a celebration for some because they were thankful they found a parking spot nearby on a rainy, or snowy Thanksgiving holiday. Many others would have found their quality of life violated after walking a few blocks from the parking spot they finally found in Elgin. Many of us have three cars as we have teen age drivers in the family. Usually the last one home is not the first one to leave in the morning thus creating a problem if we had to have all our cars on our driveway due to no or limited on street parking. Also keep in mind the legal distance restrictions on parking next to a stop sign or fire hydrant as well as the fact many young and old cannot parallel park if there were parking on one side of street. Mr. Moulton, I think your solution is an attack on the quality of life of all the citizens of Elgin at one time or another in their lives. I don't appreciate your proposal to take away something that our tax dollars paid for.

Clarence Hayward

Elgin