Parking restrictions in Sycamore’s 1st Ward may be enforced, pending the city council vote.

Resident complaints made in May and June spurred city aldermen and the police department to look at some streets in the 1st Ward of Sycamore. Factors in the decision to propose parking restrictions were the streets themselves, emergency vehicles that may need to travel down the roads, neighbors in the area and safety concerns about the older area that arose.

“The streets are narrow and drivers have to weave around cars,” said Cheryl Maness, a Sycamore 1st Ward alderwoman.

Cars parked on both sides of the streets prevent other cars from passing through. Police completing their patrols saw this as a hazard, putting the current process of changing the law into motion, said Sycamore City Manager Bill Nicklas.

“It’s not a big issue, just some clean-up work,” Nicklas said, “We wanted to change the law before an incident occurred.”

City municipal code states there will be no parking “at any place where the standing of a vehicle will reduce the usable width of a roadway for moving traffic to less than 18 feet.”

Calls to the city started in May about the parking and driving situation along those streets. The police chief then started looking at the areas, Maness said.

Parking in restricted areas will, on many streets, still be available on one side. Other places where residents can park are in surrounding alleys and on driveways.

The cost to print and put up “no parking” signs will amount to “a couple hundred dollars,” Nicklas said.

“This is not the first time this has been done. More and more people have cars and park them on the street,” said Alan Bauer, a Sycamore 1st Ward alderman.

The proposal was read at the Sycamore City Council Tuesday and will be voted on in two weeks.

Michelle Gilbert is a City Reporter for the Northern Star.