VILLA PARK : Limits on Parking Near School OKd

The City Council has made it a violation to park in front of Villa Park Elementary School during certain school hours.

Beginning Feb. 25, parking will be prohibited from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The City Council last week unanimously extended the no-parking hours on the streets that border the school so children arriving and leaving school will be more easily visible to drivers, officials said.

“It makes it less dangerous for kids coming to and leaving the school,” Councilman Bob Patchin said.

Those who park on the streets but remain in their cars will not be cited, city officials said.

Currently, signs posted around the school allow parking 35 minutes before school lets out for the day, Patchin said.

At least one parent criticized the plan. Judi Allen, a parent who drives her 7-year-old daughter to and from the school, called the new parking prohibition a “revenue generator.”

She said when the school parking lot is full, she will park on the street and leave her car unattended as she walks her child to and from class.

“I’ll have to risk getting a ticket,” Allen said. The ordinance “doesn’t make any sense to me.”