Arlington Hts. getting tougher with commercial vehicles

Complaints from some Arlington Heights residents that semitruck-tractor combinations park on their streets has prompted the village to consider a stiffer fine.

Parking commercial vehicles- except for pickups - on village streets in a residential district or adjacent to a residential district will garner a fine between $50-$750.

Short stops for deliveries and pickups are allowed.

The ordinance is expected to receive final approval Monday night, Oct. 5 and will go into effect 10 days after publication, or about the middle of the month, said Village Manager Bill Dixon.

Previously, village and state codes did not specifically rule out parking commercial vehicles on residential streets.

Drivers of semi-trucks often ignore $25 tickets for overnight parking and accumulate two or three tickets before leaving the neighborhood, according to a report from Capt. Nicholas A. Pecora Jr. of the Arlington Heights Police Department.

For aesthetic reasons, neighbors complain about these trucks, which can be more than 70 feet long, the report said.

Traditionally, officers have talked with the owner or driver, but it is sometimes difficult to locate the driver, and the truck might be registered to an out-of-state location.

Generally the problems occur on side streets adjacent to multifamily housing. Three areas have been identified where residents have frequently complained, according to Pecora's report: Tonne Drive between Falcon Drive and Seegers Road; White Oak Street between Wilke Road and Old Wilke Road; and Windsor Drive between Jane Avenue and where Windsor ends in a cul-de-sac north of Rand Road.