Update on Parking Enforcement

Parking is one of the biggest concerns for residents of the City. Last year we asked the Police to step up enforcement of parking violations and we passed an ordinance that forbid oversized vehicles from the streets and overnight. These efforts have been somewhat successful. Here are some of the statistics comparing 2016 with 2017 –

Tickets That Impacted Parking

• Oversized vehicle – 223% increase in citations (62 vs. 200)
• Detached trailer left over 2 hours unattended – 69% increase in citations. (29 vs. 49)
• Blocking a driveway – 64% increase in citations (41 vs. 64)
• Vehicles parked over 72 hours – 46% increase in citations (135 vs. 197)
• Inoperative vehicles parked in street – 17% increase in citations (36 vs. 42)

Other Tickets

Most tickets issued by the Police have no impact on Parking. Here are some figures –

• Parked in no parking/stopping zone – 56% increase (1161 vs 1808)
• Expired registration – 24% increase (677 vs 842)
• License plate not on vehicle – 5% increase (353 vs. 369)
• Parked near fire hydrant – 10% increase (243 vs. 267)
• Expired tags – 26% decrease (124 vs. 92)

In all there were 4,543 tickets issued in 2017 compared to 3,279 in 2016 – a 39% increase.

Of the total tickets issued in 2016, 8% (265) directly impacted parking improvement, while in 2017 the figure climbed to 11% (488). Even at 11% this is not an impressive number.

Towing That Impacted Parking

• Parking in a “tow away” zone – 1000% increase (1 vs. 11)
• Parking in construction zone – 750% increase (6 vs. 51)
• Abandoned vehicle – 191% increase (11 vs. 32)
• Obstructing traffic – 13% increase (285 vs. 322)

Overall 1,451 vehicles were towed in 2017 compared to 1,330 in 2016 – a 9% increase.

Of the total vehicles towed in 2016, 23% (303) directly impacted parking improvement, while in 2017 the figure climbed to 29% (416).

Summary

We are making progress by increasing the citations and towing for parking infringements but the vast majority of citations are unrelated to parking (expired registration, license plate not visible, expired tags).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His twitter handle is @DrJimGardner. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a town hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be Thursday Feb 15 at 7 pm at the Beach and Tennis Club on Ridge Rte.