A Bonus

I’m sure you have mixed feelings about the odd-even parking plan, especially if you must park on the street.

But when it comes to snow plows, street sweepers, leaf collection, and fire trucks most people are pleased.

But there is another bonus. In years past there has been a little cat-and-mouse game going on. Odd-even has effectively ended that little game.

There are certain individuals in town who used to park their cars for the winter, take out the battery, and leave town for months at a time. I suppose that’s OK if the car is in your garage, but if you leave it on the street, that’s another matter.

Once in a while a parking enforcement officer would come by, then a kind neighbor would push the car forward two feet to avoid a ticket. They could push the car back and forth all winter long and still be in compliance with the law. It was pretty easy to tell what they were doing by the cobwebs built up between the headrest and the rear-view mirror.

Along comes the odd-even plan and they can’t do that any longer. City sources tell me that 600 abandoned cars have been impounded this winter. Imagine the storage bill plus the tow plus the fine and you are quickly paying more than the car is worth.

Now, I’m sure that among those 600 cars there are a few that belonged to college students who would be back in May. It doesn’t matter. The streets of Elgin are not long-term parking lots. Odd-even parking has just forced the enforcement of existing laws.

Thank you to the city leaders for their efforts to make Elgin more beautiful.