Range of views on whether to expand parking restrictions in Elgin

So it's cold, you're tired from work and you just want to curl up on the couch and watch Conan or Letterman.

But before you do that, you have to go out and move your car to the other side of the street or face a $50 fine.

This scenario applies to you if you don't have access to a garage or driveway and live in one of four test neighborhoods in Elgin that have an experimental odd-even parking restriction.

But it also could apply to you if certain people get elected to the Elgin City Council on April 7 and decide to expand the policy to more neighborhoods - or even citywide.

City leaders enacted the test period from October 2008 through the end of this month to make leaf collection and snow removal more "predictable and efficient."

Ten people are running for three, 4-year council seats.

The incumbents are: Robert Gilliam, Juan Figueroa and John Walters.

The challengers are: Richard Dunne, Brenda Harris Khan, Shane Nowak, John Prigge, Linda Quezada, Lenora Scruggs and Bruce Trego.

"It's really not that hard," said Scruggs, who is the only candidate who supports expanding it to the entire city. "I grew up with odd-even. It was not a problem in the state of New York."

Most candidates fall somewhere in the middle and say the restrictions - which are in effect for Randall Ridge; the southern part of Cobblers Crossing; the Gifford and Summit park area; and the Southwest Area Neighbors region up to Gertrude Street - should be expanded but only on case-by-case basis.

Dunne, Khan, Nowak, Prigge, Quezada and Walters believe the restrictions should be expanded, but on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

"You can't blanket the city with one rule," Prigge said.

Walters agreed, saying: "One size does not fit all."

Dunne noted he views the restrictions as a safety issue, too. It is difficult or impossible for firetrucks to navigate down streets in the winter that have cars parked on both sides of narrower, older streets, he said.

Gilliam and Figueroa both said the measure is working and has improved city services. They are undecided on whether it should be expanded citywide.

Trego believes the odd-even parking schedule is merely a "front" to punish homes were there might be overcrowding, which results in many cars parked on the streets. He suggested it's a way the city is trying to gentrify. He does not believe it should be expanded.

The city staff is studying the trial areas and will come back later this year with a report and recommendations for the council to consider.