What seemed like a straightforward request by Sixth Ward Alderman Thomas Suffredin at Monday night’s City Council meeting erupted into something else, as alderman berated their colleague for suggesting that there should be a map denoting different parking areas throughout the City.
There are 137 miles of streets in Evanston, and many of these have exclusive or limited parking. While all residents pay taxes that go to the repair and maintenance of public streets, City limits parking in many areas. For example, parking on residential streets is restricted near the public beaches, business districts and commuter train stations. Residents in many of these restricted parking areas can obtain, for a nominal amount, a sticker that exempts them from the restrictions.
We think compiling and providing that information to the public would be a productive endeavor. It is difficult to see the harm and easy to see the advantage of having this information available to residents.