The proof is in the pictures, Flossmoor department heads said Monday as they brought a proposal to restrict residential parking to the village board.

As more than a dozen photos were exhibited to the board — nearly all showed a fire truck blocked by vehicles on both sides of various streets around the village — Fire Chief Chris Sewell explained that such parking situations are not that uncommon in Flossmoor. And that public safety is threatened when emergency vehicles cannot make it to their destination.

“You might not think this happens very much,” Sewell said. “But it does. Sometimes people just aren’t thinking when they park their cars.”

Sewell and other department heads are asking the village board to restrict parking in most residential neighborhoods to one side of the street. Under the proposal, parking would be restricted to the non-hydrant side of the street. They are also asking the board to approve a village-wide parking ban following a snowfall greater than two inches.

The proposal includes some exceptions where current parking regulations will not change, most notably in the downtown business district and in areas near schools, churches and parks. If approved, the parking restrictions will not apply to private streets throughout Flossmoor.

Village board members were generally positive about the proposal, which will also be discussed at their July 20 meeting. It is likely that the board will vote on the parking restrictions early in August. If approved, the restrictions would go into effect Oct. 1 although the police department would not begin issuing citations until Dec. 1.

Trustee James Mitros said it is not uncommon to see streets blocked in Flossmoor, especially by lawn service trucks and trailers.

“I see these vehicles blocking the streets and I wonder what (the drivers) are thinking,” Mitros said.

Sewell and some of his firefighters shot their photographs for the village board meeting earlier on Monday. At times, he said, residents came up to them and asked what they were doing.

“We talked with one woman about the parking problem,” Sewell said. “She asked us, ‘Why didn’t you do this earlier?’ Residents are fed up trying to get around town.”

Several residents attended Monday’s meeting and Mayor Paul Braun asked if any had comments about the parking proposal.

One resident, who said he lived on Lawrence Crescent, said he agreed with the snow parking ban but did not think the non-hydrant side restriction was a good idea.

“It is unenforceable,” he said. “The police can’t be everywhere at once.” He said there were few benefits in the proposed restriction for the village and that officials “have not presented data showing how many times you were inconvenienced.”

Police Chief Michael Pulec said his department has already received 48 calls on parking problems this year. He said some residents – mostly when they are hosting garage sales or large events – ask the police to post no parking signs on their block and that can occupy late shift officers for three or four hours “when they should be out on patrol.” That would change if the proposal is approved, he said.

Another resident, who said she lived on Macdonald Lane, called the proposal “terrific.”

“There are a lot of times when I can’t get through the streets,” she said, adding that she has seen one-side-only parking restrictions in Park Forest, where they have been in place for years.

“And they work,” she said.

Mitros said he believed Flossmoor residents will support the parking restrictions.

“We can’t enforce everything at all times,” he said. “A FedEx truck might park on the wrong side of the street to drop off a package. But I believe most of our citizens will obey the law if these changes go into effect.”

Braun presented emails supporting the restrictions from Flossmoor residents, one of whom is a former village board member. He encouraged residents with questions or comments about the proposed parking changes to attend the July 20 meeting.