Buses on driveways - the pros and cons

School bus drivers in Carpentersville have had a rough few months trying to get the village to change its stance on parking special needs school buses on village property.

While the village board had previously remained steadfast in its decision to ban vehicles weighing more than 8,000 pounds from parking on village streets and driveways, the same trustees seemingly had a change of heart at their last village board meeting.

Trustees will now consider exempting school buses from the ordinance. But what kind of Pandora's box will this open?

The board on Tuesday night directed the village attorney to draft an ordinance that allows school buses to park in driveways. Some bus drivers from Barrington Unit School District 220 are permitted to use the school buses for personal use and their insurance policies cover buses parked in private driveways.

But the ordinance not only affects these bus drivers. Some say it could also affect drivers of vehicles such as a Ford F150 or F250, some Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe models, all of which can be found parked in driveways throughout the village.

If bus drivers are allowed to park their small buses in their drive, will the village allow owners of the aforementioned vehicles to get a pass, too? After all, if the bus is a primary mode of transportation for the bus drivers, can't residents who have more than three children argue the same defense?

Parents may prefer a larger vehicle like a Suburban or Tahoe to shuttle kids from location to location. Another vehicle is not an option because of limited seating capacity.

If the ordinance is designed to prohibit vehicles that scrap collectors drive around, which are generally junkers converted into mobile trash collectors, it's not doing a very good job. The trucks that "scrappers" use aren't big trucks with loads of hauling capacity, they're small trucks like old Toyota and Mazda pickups. They don't have a gross vehicle weight anywhere near the 8,000 pound limit.

The ordinance will, however, deter tow truck drivers and delivery trucks from parking in the village. But how many people drive a tow truck or delivery van as their primary method of transportation? Maybe more than I think.

A toasty goodbye: There's one less place to dine in West Dundee now that the Quizno's sub shop at 754 W. Eighth Street has shut its doors. No word yet on why the shop closed, but a sign on the entrance says the store is permanently closed. Now I have to drive to the other side of Elgin for my Sammies fix.

In brief: Talk about a close election. There are now only two votes separating East Dundee village president-elect Jerry Bartels and current village president Dan O'Leary. Still, the incumbent mayor says he will not challenge the election.

Also, to the reader who disliked my lede regarding East Dundee's compromise on allowing an additional pet as long as that animal is from a rescue shelter: lighten up. There was no insensitivity toward postal workers.

The lede merely referenced a situation that happened in Wheeling and those who read the paper would have recognized this.