City may ban parking on Cheyenne Drive

By Kayne Pyatt, Herald Reporter
Posted 1/22/25

EVANSTON — During the city council work session held on Tuesday, Jan. 14, Evanston Public Works Director Gordon Robinson used a slide presentation to demonstrate a major issue with people …

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City may ban parking on Cheyenne Drive

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EVANSTON — During the city council work session held on Tuesday, Jan. 14, Evanston Public Works Director Gordon Robinson used a slide presentation to demonstrate a major issue with people parking along Cheyenne Drive instead of in the parking lot next to their apartments. The cars parked along the street create a problem for garbage collection and for access to fire hydrants in case of an emergency.

“Because too many cars are parked too close together on the street, and even some cars on the sidewalk, it makes it impossible for the garbage truck to reach the bins,” Robinson said. “We dump the garbage there daily except when we can’t get to it, and then it piles up onto the sidewalk.”

Robinson showed slides of the cars, some out into the street limiting the street to one-way passage, and the garbage piled high and overflowing. He said they have talked to the manager of the apartments and she, too, is tired of fighting with the tenants about the parking issue, which causes the garbage to become unsightly and harder to be collected.

Mayor Kent Williams asked Evanston City Attorney Mark Harris what they should do about the issue.

“If you pass a resolution stating no parking on the street and put up signs, then EPD can enforce it,” Harris said. “The police can have the cars towed away if you pass a resolution on it.”

Robinson said that people across the street from Uinta Meadows Elementary had put up “no parking” signs but they weren’t from the city, so the police cannot enforce them. He said the city should put up a designated city sign in red letters on white that says, “No Parking Any Time.”

The council will consider a resolution concerning the issue at the next regular meeting.

Ben Barto with the Horns for Heroes Foundation and the Professional Biker Rodeo Association was next on the agenda to discuss the possibility of a professional biker rodeo to take place in Evanston on Memorial Day weekend.

The rodeo features men and women on motorcycles in events including a slow ride, keg push, barrel race, tire pull, four-wheeler steer roping and cowgirl and biker tag team. Horseback riders often join in with the bikers to compete together.

The Horns for Heroes Foundation was started by Barto in 2016 and became a nonprofit in 2018. His business Bone Daddy Knives funds the foundation by donating 5% of the sales of Barto’s knives to the foundation, which donates to different charities.

Barto was asking permission to hold the biker rodeo in Evanston. There was a long discussion among council members and Barto as to whether he wanted to shut off Main Street for vendors or hold the entire event at the fairgrounds. It was suggested that if they kept the event and vendors in one location, it would be easier to contain for safety reasons — Barto said they usually get from 5,000 to 7,000 attendees at their events.

The council members agreed it would be a good event to bring to Evanston, though Memorial Day can bring cold weather. Mayor Williams suggested that Barto needed to first go to the county complex and see if the fairgrounds arena is available on Memorial Day and get permission from the county to use it.

He explained to Barto that the fairgrounds are under county control but, if Barto decides they want to use Main Street as part of the event, then he will have to come back to the city to request closure of the street.

Barto thanked the council and said he would go to the county complex the following day to reserve the fairgrounds if available.