La Grange resident hopes his petition spurs parking rules review

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Updated: March 17, 2012 10:04AM

A La Grange dentist said he was disappointed the Village Board didn’t take up his request Feb. 13 to modify parking restrictions south of Spring Avenue School after presenting a petition in the fall.

But James Bergschneider said he was encouraged by the response of two of the trustees in favor of continued efforts to develop a uniform policy on parking restrictions.

“In the future, it will probably spur discussions among board members as far as standardizing parking regulations,” he said.

Bergschneider, who lives on the 900 block of South Spring Avenue, one block north of the school presented a petition asking to replace the no parking signs on the east side of the 1100 block with a two-hour limit for those conducting school business.

The change is being sought to more evenly distribute cars parking around the school and help alleviate congestion on his block, Bergschneider said. The parking ban was enacted in 2001 because there wasn’t a sidewalk on the east side, but one has been added since then, he noted.

After being told to enlist a neighborhood consensus for the change, Bergschneider submitted a petition signed by six of 10 residents on the 1100 block.

Andrianna Peterson, assistant village manager, said further clarification was needed and all 12 households in the area were contacted with a letter seeking input.

Only one of the homeowners who signed the petition in favor of the change contacted the village. Members of three other households expressed reservations, citing safety concerns, Peterson said.

Bergschneider said he was upset his petition was disregarded and sought further clarification from the board. He also questioned whether those who signed the first petition assumed they didn’t have to sign again, and village officials acknowledged the possibility.

Trustee Mark Kuchler echoed Village President Liz Asperger’s explanation that he considered the situation an operational issue handled by village staff members, and he didn’t feel the need to get involved.

Board members Mike Horvath and Jim Palermo said they supported the idea of developing a uniform policy on parking restrictions, rather than a case-by-case basis of majority vote by neighborhood residents.

“It’s just like stop signs. We should strive for a consistent standard of parking or no parking, based on traffic counts and proximity to schools,”

Palermo said the petition with six residents favoring the change has merit.

“We should work to deliver more consistent traffic regulation and signage,” Palermo said. “I hope it’s something we could take up.”