Board Changes Rules So Commuters Know When They Land on Free Parking
Trustees approved new amendments Tuesday that turn past practice into law, making parking free on weekends, holidays and weekdays after 10:30 a.m. at the commuter lots the village runs.
The Tinley Park Village Board put into law Tuesday a practice that's been common when it comes to regulating the commuter parking lots the village runs near the Oak Park Avenue and 80th Avenue Metra stations.
READ: Police Dept. Could Sell Vintage Machine Guns it Owns for Big Bucks
Trustees unanimously approved amendments to the village's municipal code at the board's Tuesday, Dec. 4, meeting that makes commuter parking free in certain circumstances. Historically, the village hasn't enforced parking restrictions in these situations.
The amendments would let commuters park without a permit or paying a fee in the following cases:
- after 10:30 a.m. on weekdays
- weekends
- holidays
To park in the station lots, commuters can purchase a permit on a quarterly basis or pay a $1.50 daily fee with cash or special tokens that can be purchased at the Village Clerk's office or at the Tinley Park Police station.
READ: 2 Girls Rescued After Being Buried Under Mud at Construction Site
The holidays that fall under the free parking banner include the 10 days Village Hall is closed:
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Good Friday
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day (and the day after)
- Christmas Day
Stimulating business, especially along Oak Park Avenue, is much of the reason parking restrictions for the lots aren't enforced during those specified times, trustee David Seaman said during a joint committee in November.
Two Ways to Stay Connected to Tinley Park Patch:
- Subscribe to our newsletters to have headlines and breaking news delivered to your inbox.
- "Like" our Facebook page for updates throughout the day.
In This article
-
Village of Tinley Park
16250 Oak Park Ave, Tinley Park, IL -
Oak Park Avenue Train Station
6700 South St, Tinley Park, IL -
-
Tinley Park Police Department
7850 183rd St, Tinley Park, IL -
-
Lynn
8:52 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012
So the "working" commuter bears the burden, again.
Frank Williams
11:38 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012
It's always the workers, especially the middle class, whose backs the burden of financing government falls upon. You'd think they could let is park for free in exchange for the fact we work very hard to keep the village safe and solvent. We're looked upon as nothing more than human ATM machines.
Tinleyjoe
12:34 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
Its the commuter who uses the 12 million dollar station, its the commuter who should pay for it. They should double the parking fee!
Ordinary Citizen
12:50 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
In these struggling economic times, I would think the Village would act responsibly and obtain revenue from all available sources. If you want to stimulate business, then free parking should be a perk only when actual spending occurs. A validation process could be put in place for reimbursement when a certain threshold of spending is met. It is unfair to alienate the commuters that most likely provide the bulk of all the parking revenue. Free parking on holidays and weekends does not seem to target any group in particular. However, by selecting 10:30 AM instead of say 3:00 PM the Village is clearly targeting the "working" commuter. I bet many of the commuters make purchases at these same businesses before or after work but still have to pay for parking. I certainly hope the Village does not plan on raising any sticker fees, permit fees or taxes if they are not willing to enforce the parking fees on all patrons.