The Aurora City Council at a meeting Tuesday is set to consider changes to the parking ordinance that police say will help with the excessive number of commercial vehicles being parked on city roads.
The city currently has an ordinance restricting commercial vehicle parking in residential areas by banning overnight parking and limiting daytime parking to no more than two hours, but the Aurora Police Department is proposing expanding that ordinance to include the whole city — along with some other changes.
Officer Grant Weil, who is part of the Aurora Police Department’s community-oriented policing unit, told the Aurora City Council’s Committee of the Whole last week that many of the commercial vehicles parked overnight on Aurora streets belong to companies outside of Aurora that do not have business with any nearby properties.
“I have personally spoken to some of these drivers who admit they park these vehicles on Aurora streets before driving their personal vehicles home, which are often not in Aurora, because they are aware the city does nothing to enforce commercial vehicle parking in these areas,” Weil said about the south section of Duke Parkway.
The point of the ordinance is not to hinder business in Aurora, and the proposed ordinance specifically states that commercial vehicles actively being used to make a delivery or render a service to a nearby business or residence are excluded from parking restrictions, according to Weil.
His presentation showed that commercial vehicles that are obstructing traffic or causing a hazard, even if they are actively making a delivery or providing a service, would be in violation of the proposed ordinance, though.
The proposed ordinance would allow police to immediately tow commercial vehicles and trailers found in violation of the ordinance, which Weil said would have a “significant positive impact on the responsiveness and ability for the Aurora Police Department to address frequent complaints of commercial vehicles parking on city streets.”
Previously, the Aurora Police Department’s community-oriented policing unit went through the process of working with the city to do “lengthy” traffic surveys and eventually get signage approved to stop commercial parking in some problem areas, such as on one side of the road on the south section of Duke Parkway, according to Weil.
But at that location, he said, drivers of commercial vehicles soon realized they could still legally park on the other side of the street from the signs, and the same problem came back up.
“Excessive amounts of trash, including human waste,” was being left behind by drivers, oil changes were being done then discarded into the street and “excessive noise” from idling trucks, especially overnight, was impacting area residents and businesses in that area, Weil said.
Police also recovered several stolen vehicles from this area, he said.
Other areas where commercial vehicle parking has become a problem include Gabrielle Lane and Longmeadow Drive, according to Weil’s presentation.
The proposed ordinance change would allow the Aurora Police Department to enforce the ordinance consistently throughout the city, Weil said, instead of having to identify every problem area and go through the lengthy process of getting signs approved and installed.
If the proposed ordinance is approved by the Aurora City Council on Tuesday, then commercial vehicles over 8,000 pounds, including truck tractors with or without a trailer, would not be allowed to park on public streets between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., these vehicles could not be parked for more than two hours — and, at any time, these vehicles would not be allowed to obstruct other traffic or cause a hazard, according to the proposed ordinance.
The proposed ordinance would also apply to all types of trailers, whether or not they are attached to a vehicle.
This new proposed ordinance would simplify enforcement throughout the city, removing the need for different signs around town displaying the different parking rules, and allows immediate enforcement action by police, Weil’s presentation said.
It is also similar to the ordinances neighboring communities have, he said.
The proposed ordinance does not have any impact on non-commercial parking anywhere, except that it may create more parking for residents, according to Weil. Plus, it may beautify all of the city’s districts and reduce commercial vehicle noise, he said.
At its meeting last week, the Committee of the Whole, which sets the following week’s City Council agenda, placed the proposed ordinance changes on Tuesday meeting’s consent agenda, which is typically used for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with one vote and without discussion instead of needing to vote on and talk about each individual item.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
