'I Wake Up' To Tickets In La Grange: Resident

LA GRANGE, IL – A downtown La Grange resident who is getting parking tickets said Monday the village should look at a better way to handle the issue.

At a Village Board meeting, Mark Buchanan, who lives in the 10 block of Burlington Avenue, said he cannot find space at the overnight lots near his home when he returns at night. So he is forced to park farther away.

"Then when I wake up, I have tickets on my car for not being able to park in my area," Buchanan said. "I noticed that the signs say you can park from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. However, I don't think it's reasonable for me to get up at 2 a.m. to re-park my car, so I wanted to propose that you would shift the time on those signs to 6 p.m. to 6 a.m."

Village President Mark Kuchler said the village has stepped up parking enforcement with its license plate readers. At the same time, he said the village could work to ensure that residents can park close to their homes.

He said Buchanan is competing for parking space when he gets home with people who are at downtown stores and restaurants.