Red or green light? How drivers could soon find parking in Arlington Heights garage
For the price of $420,000, Arlington Heights' busy Vail Avenue garage could get a digital system that would more easily show drivers which of the structure's 1,056 spaces are available.
Though the parking guidance system is the single most expensive option in the first phase of a village downtown parking upgrade plan, village board members Monday night favored it as they look for ways to ease congestion in the area.
The system uses sensors to detect when vehicles enter parking spaces, in which overhead LEDs change from green to red. Naperville has the system in one of its downtown garages, as does Rosemont at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago.
A less costly option trustees considered is installation of sensors, cameras and signage that would indicate how many spaces are available on each level of the five-story garage.
Cost estimates range from $134,000 to $230,000, but village officials plan to bid out both options before bringing contracts back to the board for final consideration and approval.
"We should buy the best system," Trustee Jim Tinaglia said. "It's a drop in the bucket to make that parking garage work the way it should work."
Mayor Tom Hayes, and Trustees Richard Baldino, Mike Sidor, Robin LaBedz and John Scaletta also indicated their preference for the parking guidance system using green and red lights.
"The price is a little bit on the downside, but on the upside, we will get so much data," said Scaletta, noting that the sensors would provide more comprehensive parking statistics than "snapshots" officials have used to determine what parking improvements are needed.
Trustees Monday also weighed in on increasing the amount of signage in and around downtown parking garages and lots. They reached consensus on attaching only one 18-foot vertical "Parking" sign to the side of the North garage, instead of two, and one on the Vail garage. But they also said the signs - at a cost of $22,000 each - didn't stand out and wanted to see renderings with different colors and designs.
Trustees also recommended design changes with proposed pole-mounted parking signs at the entrances to three commuter lots near the railroad tracks and across from the underground Evergreen garage. Some sought the parking lot names to be bigger, as well as better illumination. Those signs could cost $10,000 each.
The plans are just some of the 31 recommendations from a parking consultant who delivered a 134-page report to village officials last October. They say some of the projects could be funded through the village's $3.5 million parking fund reserve.
The board could evaluate bids as soon as March, while signage could be installed by June or July and the parking guidance system in August.