Elgin looking at odd/even, residential parking trials
Some neighborhoods in Elgin are expected to see parking changes on a trial basis in an effort to address complaints.
City council members seemed to be "in general agreement" with parking recommendations presented by staff members at a special meeting Saturday, senior management analyst Aaron Cosentino said.
The recommendations, which the city council will have to formally approve, are:
• An odd/even parking trial along Poplar Creek Drive.
• An odd/even parking trial in the Kennington Square subdivision.
• A trial for residential parking south of Elgin High School during school hours on school days. Students - who have to pay a $100 fee if they want to park in the school's lot - and some bus drivers have been parking their personal vehicles there, city officials said.
Traffic officers say running license plates is more efficient than having to check residential vehicle stickers, if those were to be implemented, Cosentino said.
About half the up to 700 parking spots at Elgin High School are occupied on school days, Elgin Area School District U-46 spokeswoman Mary Fergus said.
The school district offers transportation to all high school students, she pointed out.
The city council already has approved trying out odd/even parking along Stewart, Trout, Victor and Parkway avenues, which is expected to start in the next few weeks, Cosentino said.
The city will continue to monitor parking near a two-way stop sign at South Street and Edison Avenue, which was converted from a four-way stop sign to alleviate traffic congestion during the construction at Route 20 and McLean Boulevard, Cosentino said.
City officials will wait for construction to be finished before making any recommendations, he said.
The city also will continue to monitor the parking situation at Porter and Chicago streets where there is no clear best option yet, Cosentino said.
The police traffic unit gets one to three complaints per day about parking, Cosentino said. "It is nearly impossible to create a solution that satisfies all parties," he said, "because parking creates winners and losers."