Elgin hopefuls differ on parking ban

Elgin needs an even-odd parking schedule to make leaf collection and snow removal more predictable and efficient.

Or does it?

Since September, the city has experimented with this in four neighborhoods: Randall Ridge; the southern part of Cobblers Crossing; the Gifford and Summit park area; and the Southwest Area Neighbors (SWAN) region up to Gertrude Street.

The trial period ends in March and then it will be up to the city council to decide whether to scrap the plan or extend it to the entire city.

The six people are running for a vacant, two-year seat on the council have differing views on whether a blanket ban is needed or if the restrictions - which require people to park on the even or odd side of the street depending on the calendar date - should be applied to neighborhoods on a case-by-case basis.

During Tuesday's primary election, voters will eliminate two people from the field and a winner will be chosen on April 7.

Mike Warren said more input is needed from residents. But he opposes an across-the-board ban and said it might be appropriate on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

"It's a challenging thing and not all neighborhoods need it," he said.

Charlene Sligting said the ban has made a substantial difference in the SWAN area, where she is president of the president of the homeowners group. She said the ban has improved safety on narrow streets and she would like to see it expanded citywide.

"It has had a positive impact," she said. "It's a good program. You just have to educate people on the benefits of it." Brenda Rodgers said she has heard mixed reviews from residents. But if it helps the city deliver better services, she supports it.

Mike Robins said he still needs to personally investigate the ban before he forms an opinion. Still, he said, women he has spoken to on the campaign trail say they are scared to move their cars late at night.

"It's mixed reviews," he said.

Emi Morales said she supports the schedule but wants it tweaked and a provision made for the weekends for people having guests or church services.

"I'd like to see it revisited again, having another meeting or something," she said.

Al Fernandez said there are other ways to ensure snow removal is better, such as an all-street ban when it snows 2 inches or more.

"I don't believe in passing bans and assessing fines just to get revenue. Sometimes I think that this might be one of those things just to generate revenue," he said.

The fine is $50 for parking on the wrong side of the street. The city issued warnings for the first month and handed out fliers instead.