Cars in Hyde Park could be towed if not moved for street cleaning, alderman says

A new consequence of Chicago's severe summer storms.

Instead of issuing tickets, the city is ready to tow cars in some neighborhoods if motorists don't move them for street cleaning.

Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) said that permanent street sweeping signs have been installed, and now in Hyde Park, he's requested the city go a step further.

"To essentially do what's called a sweep and tow," he said.

Yancy wants the cars towed who refuse to move. The recent summer rainstorms are behind these drastic measures.

He says he's worried if the city gets any more downpours, it will get worse if those tree branches are not removed. He's hoping residents take heed of the warning because tickets aren't working.

He's simply advising motorists ...

"Just please, please, please move your cars. This way, we don't have to tow anybody," he said.

The rainy summer has also placed a big strain on the people picking up the trash. 

Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) says it's gotten bad.

"The highest volume of garbage pickup in the city is June, July and August. We're behind on that," he said. "You know what happens when the garbage isn't picked up? We get rats."

O'Shea says the same workers tasked with picking up weekly garbage are also working overtime to remove tree-littered curbs. 

He says the city did not hire replacement workers and it's leaving city employees across departments swamped, mostly due to a huge retirement of motor truck drivers back in June.

"I believe it's as many as 50 motor truck drivers who operated the garbage truck and big trucks who pick up all the tree debris that we've seen out here in on the South Side in past weeks, but we're also significantly down laborers who are on the back of the garbage truck," he said.

He adds that jobs are available.

"We need to hire more truck drivers. We need to hire more laborers to keep up with the workload, but the city of Chicago isn't doing that," he said.

He adds those showing up are exhausted.

"These men and women have been working overtime weeks now ... to the point now they're saying I can't stay late today, I can't work late," O'Shea said.