Ban on parking could be lifted
by BRIAN NADIG
The rush-hour parking ban on Lawrence Avenue between Central Avenue and Laramie Avenue would be eliminated under a proposed ordinance introduced by Alderman John Arena (45th).
Currently parking is banned on westbound Lawrence between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and on eastbound Lawrence between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Last year Arena introduced a similar ordinance for Milwaukee Avenue between Lawrence and Addison Street, the City Council is expected to approve the measure later this year, said Arena’s chief of staff Owen Brugh said.
Arena has said that the parking bans do not allow motorists to park in front of a business they wish to patronize on their way to or from work. He also has said that eliminating the parking lane as a through lane for traffic during rush hour would slow traffic.
Brugh said that there are no plans to lift the rush hour parking restrictions near the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal, 4917 N. Milwaukee Ave., due in part to the large number of buses which turn on and off Milwaukee.
A portion of Lawrence where the parking ban would be lifted also is being considered for wider bike lanes. The 45th Ward participatory budget ballot will include a request for $70,000 for the expansion of bike lanes on Lawrence between Long Avenue and Cicero Avenue.
