Citing safety concerns on crowded streets, the Romeoville Village Board has voted to restrict the type and number of vehicles that can be parked on residential roads.
According to the new regulations, proposed by Romeoville Police Chief Andrew Barto last month, street parking is limited to passenger cars and pickup trucks. In addition, only two vehicles per household can be parked on the street.
Roadways where curbs are solidly lined with vehicles, many of them oversize, present hazards by cutting visibility for pedestrians and motorists backing out of driveways, Barto said.
He said the regulations “could be enforced (and are) fair to residents.”
Mobile data terminals expected to be in use next month will make the limit on the number of vehicles parked on the street simpler to enforce because officers will be able to check vehicle licenses.
Trustee Dennis Veselsky said the new rules would penalize families who need a large number of vehicles.
Also opposed were Valley View School District bus drivers. Spokeswoman Rose Gonzales said the prohibition would be a hardship for the 10 drivers who take their buses home during the middle of the day.
“I don’t feel that we are the cause of the parking problems,” Gonzales said. The drivers are not allowed to leave buses parked in the neighborhood and go elsewhere, nor are they allowed to park buses there overnight, she said.
Most adults are at work and most children are at school during the hours when buses are parked in the neighborhoods, she said.
The effects of the new parking rules will be reviewed in 60 days, Mayor Fred Dewald said.