City Council voted to allow residents to park their vehicles on a parkway if there is an approved substrate or surface, amending parts of the city code during a Monday meeting.

The amendment requires a vehicle to fit entirely between the sidewalk, street and concrete, curbing inner edges where it meets the parkway.

The amendment also states that the vehicle must be registered with a current license plate through the state of Illinois, and if required, can be moved with proper notice. Residents will owe parking violation fees if vehicles are not parked within the specifications.

Ald. Thomas Suffredin (6th) suggested that parking vehicles on a parkway within 25 feet of an intersection should be prohibited.

“I’m really concerned about cars or vehicles that would be parked in a parkway that close to an intersection that may make stop signs difficult to see,” Suffredin said.

Michael Rivera, interim division manager for parking, said this concern is reasonable, and the city is aware of the potential risk of parking vehicles in a parkway too close to an intersection. Individuals are already prohibited from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, but Rivera expressed support for Suffredin’s suggestion.

As a result, City Council also approved a ban on parking on a parkway within 25 feet of an intersection.

Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) said she had concerns that drivers might have a harder time seeing children on bicycles, and that Northwestern students are already double parking on 1st Ward parkways.

“I have also heard from residents that the way that [students] can get around the residents-only parking is by then creating a driveway for themselves,” Fiske said. “In my ward, at least, it raises more problems than it actually solves.”

But Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th) said the parking amendment would be beneficial to residents in her neighborhood, as it would alleviate parking challenges in neighborhoods that are both commercial and residential.

“It is a change that is supported and requested, actually by the neighbors along the neighborhood,” Simmons said.

Rivera also said he believes all residents throughout the city will benefit from the amendment, which will allow relief to residents applying for permits to maintain a driveway as well as paying for substrates they reserve annually.

“It also gives them the opportunity to not park on the street during street cleaning dates and potentially receive citations, and as well not to park your vehicle on the street during snow emergencies,” Rivera said.

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