Published on Thursday, September 6, 2007

Parking restrictions only hurt you

By BUDDY HANSON

Think twice before you visit friends on Harrison Street in DeKalb.

The street’s overnight parking regulations – ostensibly to keep you away from house parties – ticket you for parking on the street between 1 and 8 a.m.

How do I know this? My roommates and I live on Harrison Street and have paid off approximately a dozen parking tickets since we moved there last April.

At first, I thought my roommates and I were the only unfortunate victims of this parking policy. Parking on Harrison Street is no easy task, even as a resident.

I soon realized, after meeting a few of our fellow neighbors, that we were not alone.

Our neighbors had the same concerns and problems with this parking policy, and also had paid ticket after ticket simply for parking in front of their own house.

If it’s not enough to punish residents for parking on their own street, residents can be ticketed for parking in their own driveway.

Any car parked in the driveway in such a way as to block even the slightest portion of the sidewalk is likely to receive a parking ticket.

Initial parking fines are $15. If the ticket is not paid within 10 days, the price goes up to $50.

To find out why this policy is so rigid, I attended a City of DeKalb monthly meeting last July.

I addressed Mayor Frank Van Buer regarding the Harrison Street parking policy.
Shortly after my address, the Neighborhood Services Committee (NSC) reviewed and responded to my concerns.

According to Sue Guio, DeKalb community services coordinator, the Harrison Street parking policy “resulted from a request from residents in the area who were concerned with a growing number of raucous, late-night parties.”

The NSC denied my appeal to have the parking regulation removed, but enclosed a parking policy petition form, stating, “You may circulate the attached petition and, if at least 75 percent of the residents in your neighborhood agree to a change, submit the petition and the committee will reconsider the request further.”

Apparently, DeKalb believes that such parking restrictions will have an effect on local “raucous” party activity.

I can tell you firsthand that these parking restrictions have little to no effect when it comes to discouraging local party activities.

If you live on Harrison Street or want to visit your friends or family on Harrison Street, beware. The City of DeKalb is watching you.

In the meantime, if you’re a resident, I’ll be knocking on your door soon, collecting signatures for this petition.