Mokena eases parking rules as winter nears

MOKENA -- It just got a little easier to park in Mokena.

The village board voted Monday night to relax a controversial restriction that prohibits residents from blocking the sidewalk when they park in their driveways.

With winter street-parking restrictions just around the corner, the time seemed right to give residents a break, police Chief Randy Rajewski said.

About 40 residents are ticketed each year for blocking the sidewalk, Rajewski said, adding that the regulation was originally created to give pedestrians and bicyclists easy access to the sidewalk.

But in several Mokena subdivisions -- including Pheasant Ridge, Green Meadows and Boulder Ridge -- short driveways mean that only one car will fit without blocking the sidewalk.

That and other factors, including extra family members moving home because of the recession and police encouraging residents not to park in the street overnight because of vehicle break-ins, have created a parking crunch for many homeowners, Rajewski said.

Under the new parking rules, residents can block the sidewalk anytime between November and April when winter parking restrictions are in effect. From May through October, residents must keep sidewalks clear between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., but they can block sidewalks overnight.