CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- The city of Chicago is a step closer to making everyone in the city a parking enforcement aide ... kind of.
Members of a City Council committee gave preliminary approval Monday to a measure that would have operators at the city's 3-1-1 center take complaints from callers about delivery and other commercial trucks parking in crosswalks, bicycle or bus lanes, and then immediately dispatch aides to write tickets.
The proposal from Wicker Park alderman Daniel LaSpata would be an extension of the pilot program putting cameras on buses and other city vehicles to capture images of illegally-parked vehicles.
"It is logistically feasible for departments and is also going to lead to greater safety for all Chicagoans," said Ald. LaSpata (1st Ward) during the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee meeting.
Wrigleyville colleague Bennett Lawson (44th Ward) supported the move, saying anything that bolsters enforcement is good.
"I can block a bike lane or a crosswalk and put my hazards on and in 15 minutes know I'm not going to get a ticket," said. Ald. Lawson.
But Downtown alderman Brian Hopkins, whose ward includes the popular stretch of Wells Street between Division and North Ave., expressed concern that increased complaints could cause problems for restaurants and bars that must take deliveries from the street, because there's no alley supporting that stretch of Wells.
"I have no place to tell the trucks to go. What am I supposed ... am I supposed to close the restaurants?" Ald. Hopkins (2nd Ward) asked. "Just like bike lanes don't work everywhere, a program like this won't work everywhere."
The measure now goes to the full City Council.