It’s a good thing downtown Oak Park valet parking is funded locally. Were it part of the federal budget it most assuredly would soon be a fond memory.
But, thanks to the foresight and compassion of Oak Park officials, the parking service has been extended for another year.
Parking is an ongoing – and growing – problem in Oak Park.
But for many people, lack of parking is more than an inconvenience. It prevents them from living their daily lives, from shopping, going to the doctor, visiting.
Helping those people is a major benefit of the downtown valet parking service.
“In 2016, we parked 4,560 vehicles, and about 38 percent of those were for physicians’ offices,” said Jill Velan, director of parking and mobility services, as reported in a recent Oak Leaves article on the subject.
The valet service began last year after groundbreaking for the 20-story Elevate Oak Park development south of Lake Street between Marion Street and Harlem Avenue. The site formerly housed two village-owned parking lots closed during construction.
Valet parking was offered to ease the parking crunch.
Motorists can pay $5 for up to three hours parking and $12 for up to 10 hours of parking.
Valet parking is funded by Oak Park’s parking fund, the Westgate Medical Offices and the Elevate Oak Park developer.
The valet service is not being used to its desired capacity.
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My hunch is that many Oak Parkers are unaware of the service.
Valet services are offered on Lake Street in front of Bar Louie and on North Boulevard and Marion Street.
In order for the valet service to pay for itself without village subsidy or private sector money there would need to be 41,236 parking transactions over a year, or 793 per week at the minimum $5 charge.
Right now, the service is averaging only 457 customers a month.
So, there’s room to grow.
Oak Park officials have built into the extension agreement provisions for re-examining the effectiveness of the service and deciding whether to keep it going.
My hope is more villagers will use the valet parking service. It is a convenience and amenity for anyone visiting downtown Oak Park.
But for persons with mobility problems, the valet service is more than a convenience and amenity.
It can be the difference between getting where you need to go and being stuck at home.
Paul Sassone is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.