Student Upset With Hinsdale Parking Ticket

HINSDALE, IL – A Hinsdale Central High School student said Tuesday he and his classmates were upset about parking tickets they received last week.

At Tuesday's Village Board meeting, junior Eric Willoughby said he was speaking on behalf of a dozen of his classmates about getting tickets on Thursday for parking on Washington Circle.

The street, which consists of a few houses, links Washington and Lincoln streets. Willoughby described it as being a 10-minute walk from Central.

After receiving the tickets, he said, the students checked the entire street and found no parking signs. A Google Maps photo taken in October shows just one such sign on the street.

"We were a little upset that we got ticketed," he said.

The next day, Willoughby said, he noticed temporary parking signs on Washington Circle.

Police Chief Brian King said a Washington Circle resident notified the village that parking signs had been removed. So the village put up temporary signs, he said.

The chief said he would look into whether any signs were up last Thursday.

Village President Tom Cauley told Willoughby, "If there were no signs out, we'll work with you on the ticket."

Cauley noted the village last year made 25 parking spots at the Community House available for students. But he conceded that this wasn't enough for students. At a meeting last year, officials said a parking spot would cost $400 a semester at the Community House.

Willoughby said the tickets reflect the larger issue of a lack of parking near Central.

"High school, it sucks. Let's be honest – we've all been through it. It's not a fun time," he said. "I would ask that you relieve that stress on students by just opening up some parking spaces near Central. There's no worse feeling than playing whack-a-mole every morning."

Cauley said the village would look into it.